An Unforgettable Summer
by Just Another Wise Girl
Summary: Annabeth Chase goes on a summer vacation with her family & friends on a beautiful island off of the Miami coast. Little does she know that she'll meet Percy Jackson; one of the gorgeous islanders. Will this be a summer that both of them will want to remember forever? Or will they just do everything in their power to try to forget. PJO & HOO characters, Percabeth, Thalico, & Jasper
1. We're Going On Vacation!

**Annabeth POV**

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My dad had just told me that we were going on vacation this summer to a beautiful island! The last time we ever went on vacation was... well, it was 10 years ago. Just before my mom died. Dad and I were extremely depressed after her death so we never really did anything as a family anymore. It just never seemed right without her. It also seemed as if Dad was trying to distance himself from me after she died. I think it's because I resembled her a lot. We both had long blonde curly hair, the same Californian tan (even though we moved to New York right after I was born), and the same intense grey eyes. I guess you could say I was a replica of my mother. So my Dad just consumed himself in his work at the museum and began teaching history in the university, which meant that I barely got to see him. I hoped that this vacation would help us connect. Maybe we can even start acting as a family again.

"I also have another surprise for you Annabeth." Said my Dad which startled me since I was so deep in thought. "What is it?" I asked curiously wondering how he can make this day any better than it already is. "Well, the truth is we're not going on this trip just for vacation but for business as well. I'm going to look at some historical places that are located there for the museum so I can't be with you the whole time we're there"

_Great_ I thought to myself _So what the heck am I supposed to do by myself? Maybe I'll just read some of my new architecture books I got at the library._

"But," continued my father with a huge grin on his face "I realized that we have some extra money for 2 more tickets which means you can bring two friends to come along. Do you know of anyone who would enjoy a summer on an island off of the Miami coast?"

_Thalia and Piper._ Those were the first two names that came into my mind. Of course they were! They're my best friends in the whole world! Why wouldn't I take them? I let out an enthusiastic scream which made my Dad flinch. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I repeated while giving him a huge bear hug. "No problem sweetheart, just call your friends and tell them we leave in two days at 6 am so we can get there by 9." "I'm on it!" I yelled back as I ran to the phone to call Thalia and Piper. Wow. A summer on a beautiful island with my two best friends and my Dad, away from this hectic New York traffic! I just knew, this is going to be the greatest, most memorable summer yet.

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**Author's Note:**

**Me: Hey, I know it's short, but I'm just getting started. I have a lot of ideas for this story, so I'll try to update as frequently as I can. :)**

**Percy: I hope so! You haven't even introduced ME yet!**

**Me: -_-**

**Annabeth: Be quiet Seaweed Brain! You're coming soon! Just be patient!**

**Percy: UGGHH! Fine... but I better be coming soon!**

**Me: Next chapter I promise!**


	2. Islander Blues

**Percy POV**

Here we go again. Another summer in the same old town, on the same old island, with the same old people. Now, I know what your thinking. Why are you complaining if you can go to the beach every day while drinking nice cold lemonade with your buddies and checking out girls in swimsuits? Well, after doing those exact activities every day for the past seventeen years... it gets pretty boring.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Riverside! It has incredible sandy white beaches with water so clear that you can see the fishes that swim around you. There's also the strip where you can find whatever you need in life. I'm completely serious. Even if you need bright green polka dotted slippers, it will be there. My Mom runs the sweet shop. It's one of my favourite places to go to since I can eat whatever I want for free!... Until I reach my limit. I'm not the only one addicted though, the whole island seems to never get enough of my Mom's sweets. Most of the time, she runs out of things to sell before closing. It's always hectic at the store so I help my Mom out sometimes during the week if it gets too crazy. She won't hire anyone else to work there though. I'm pretty sure it's because of my Dad.

My Dad died when I was pretty young. I was 6 when his boat was destroyed in the worst storm Riverside has ever seen. He was a fisherman, but he would help my Mom out in the store every day. His shifts were in the mornings anyways so he really didn't mind. I woke up to the sound of him leaving the house so, being the rebellious kid that I am, I followed him to the beach. I loved watching my Dad fish. He always had this huge grin on his face whenever he caught a huge load, and the rising sun would shine on his sea green eyes making him look ten years younger than what he actually was. I would watch him behind this extremely large yet smooth rock, but now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure he knew I was watching him. I was never really good at being stealthy.

Anyways, the sky started to change from light blue to an ugly almost black looking colour. The clouds looked as if they were growing larger and that's when I heard the thunder. I saw the panic in my Dad's eyes when he saw how large the waves were becoming. My Dad's boat was then set on fire by this huge lightning bolt. At this time I ran out of my hiding spot yelling for him to jump out of the boat and swim back to shore. Just then, I noticed the largest wave I have ever seen in my entire life heading towards my Dad's boat. I could tell he noticed it too from the look on his face. As much as I wanted to deny it, I knew what would happen next. It was too late for my Dad to swim back to shore, especially since his boat was a good 400 metres away. I could tell that he knew it too since he turned around and mouthed "I'm sorry Percy, I love you" And before the wave engulfed him, he gave me one of his amazing winning smiles.

My Dad's death was the hardest thing my Mom and I ever had to endure. I had nightmares every night for years of that awful day. They aren't as frequent anymore which is good, but when it does happen, I wake up screaming and feeling sick to my stomach. My Mom says I look a lot like him. She says that we have the same untamed hair, sea green eyes, and winning smile. When I look at myself in the mirror, I can see that she's right... And I hate it. Just looking at myself makes me sick. I've been trying for 11 years to get rid of that horrible memory, and it doesn't help that whenever I look at myself, I see my Dad too.

As I sat on the beach thinking about my Dad, I feel a bucket of water just splash onto my head. I jump from the sudden sensation of cold water and turn around to see my best friend Grover laughing hysterically on the sand. I gave him my best death stare as he just continues laughing while repeating "You should have seen your face!" Grover has been my best friend since the first grade and yet he still acts like a first grader.

Once Grover has recovered from his laughing fit, he asks me "So, we're finally free from the awful hell that is high school for exactly two months. What do you think we should do with all of our spare time?" "Not really much to do when you've done everything there is to do on this island like 500 times" I responded. "Not true. You see, there is one activity that we haven't done 500 times" "And what might that be?" I asked unamused. "Why, get you a girlfriend of course!" exclaimed Grover as he looked at me like this was such an obvious answer.

Let me get one thing cleared up. Living in a small town like Riverside means that there aren't that many people around. Which causes everyone to know who everyone is, what their hobbies are, where they live, and what they do for a living. This doesn't open up many opportunities to meet new people, so long story short, I know every teenage girl on this island and NONE of them call out my attention. I mean sure, girls try to flirt with me a lot, but I never return the favor since well... None of them are my type. Now, don't ask me what my type is because to be honest, I'm not quite sure myself. I'll just know when I meet her.

"Look G-Man," I said "I've already told you this before, I don't want to date any of the girls on this island. None of them are interesting to me." "Oh come on Perce!" Grover complained "You should at least give one of them a shot!" "I did! Don't you remember? And that backfired badly!" "Oh yeah..." Grover said, suddenly remembering my first and only relationship I've ever had. I'd rather spare the details, it wasn't a pretty picture. "But, I still think you should at least try to find someone. I just don't want you to feel like your a third wheel when I'm with Juniper." "I don't feel like a third wheel around you guys!" I honestly didn't. Grover and Juniper's relationship never bothered me, well, unless they started making out in front of me... Then we had a problem.

"Look," I said, wanting to finally close this subject "as long as she's not from this island, I'll consider dating her." "Whatever Perce, I give up!" Grover yelled as he waved his arms in frustration "Oh, I almost forgot! I saw your Mom today and she asked me if you and I could go to the airport to pick up some supplies she ordered in." "Ok sure, let's go now. On the way we should pick up Jason, Leo, and Nico. My Mom always has like mountain loads of heavy boxes whenever she has a shipment come in so we're going to need all the help we can get."

While driving to the airport, Grover suddenly laughed to himself "What?" I asked, curious to know what in the world Grover was thinking in that crazy head of his. "Well, I was just thinking, wouldn't it be funny if you find your future non-islander girlfriend at the airport?" I laughed "I highly doubt that will happen G-Man. The chances of that would be one in a billion."_ Besides_, I thought to myself, _who would want to vacation on this island?_

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**Author's Note:**

**So I made this chapter a lot longer than my first one. I hope you liked it and the next chapter will be coming soon! Please feel free to review my story since I am new at this whole writing thing. **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Welcome to Riverside

**Annabeth POV**

"Thalia, would you PLEASE stop eating my pretzels!" "Sorry Annabeth," Thalia said while consuming another mouthful of pretzels "but they're just so damn good! Who knew pretzels could taste this fantastic?!" I rolled my eyes. "Well, don't eat too much" I warned "I'd rather not have you barf all over me." "Guys look!" Piper exclaimed while pointing at the window "Isn't it gorgeous!? Just look at that ocean!" I had to agree, the island was absolutely breathtaking. Even though it was smaller than what I had expected it to be, it still looked like paradise.

"_5 minutes till landing folks. Please put on your seatbelts." _As we strapped ourselves in Piper asked "So, once we land, what should we do first?" "BEACH!" yelled Thalia and I in unison. I just couldn't wait to smell the ocean air and feel the soft white sand in-between my toes. "Actually," my Dad chimed in "the first thing we're doing once we land is going into town to receive the keys to our rented beach house." "Well, at least that way we can see what other activities are around besides the beach" I said. "Yes, what can I get for you?" I turn my head to see the flight attendant smiling politely. "I'd like some more pretzels please" said Thalia.

*Once Landed*

"I still can't believe that they didn't have any more pretzels!" yelled Thalia, clearly still frustrated from the lack of pretzels on the flight. "Maybe it's because you ate them all" Piper suggested. Thalia glared at her which would usually frighten most people, but it just made Piper and I laugh. Despite the large quantities of food that Thalia consumes per day, she was actually pretty fit. She was at least an inch taller than I was, with short dark black hair, and these electric blue eyes that could scare off even the toughest wrestler. Piper looked a lot different though. We were around the same height and she had long, choppy brown hair, tanned skin, and eyes that could change colour depending on the way the sun hit them.

We all met in kindergarten when we were labeled as outsiders by the other kids. From that moment forward we decided that we would never care what other people thought of us, and that we would stick together no matter what.

"Hey Thalia, do you think Annabeth will find a cute islander that's actually worthy of her affection?" Piper teased. "I don't know, no one we've tried to get her with has gotten an approval from her yet, and it's been seventeen years!" "Hey guys will you keep it down?" I asked annoyed "My Dad's right behind us you know?" "Well, it's not our fault you're so picky Annie!" I hated it when Thalia called me that. She'd only do it when she wanted to annoy me... Which was most of the time. "There must be tons of attractive guys here Annabeth, you never know if you'll meet someone who will catch your eye" Piper explained.

_This is the last thing I need. _I said to myself _This summer is about relaxing with your friends and re-connecting with your Dad. Not getting caught up in some dramatic summer romance with a guy that you'll see for only two months._

"Look guys, I'll try to keep an open mind with the whole dating thing," I lied "but I'd rather spend our summer having fun together than mooning over some tanned surfer." I honestly meant what I said about spending the summer just hanging out with them. At this moment though, I wanted to drop the subject as quickly as possible beacuse the truth is, acquiring relationships was never really my forte. Whenever a guy would try to flirt with me, I'd just make up an excuse and run off. It's not like those guys were my type anyways, they were usually stuck up jerks since Thalia, Piper, and I went to a private school. They always thought that they could get whatever girl that they desired because they were rich. So basically, there weren't any guys that I felt a connection with, which tallied up the number of boyfriends I've ever had to an even zero.

We went to grab our luggage and then headed over to the car rentals. As my Dad was signing the paperwork for the car, Thalia, Piper, and I went over to the tourist booth. We each picked up a map of the island and inside there was a list of all the different activities and events that Riverside had to offer during the summer.

"Wow, they've got scuba diving, surfing, and water skiing!" cried Piper excitedly. "They've even got summer concerts with... oh my gosh FREE BARBEQUE!" screamed Thalia with cheer. I would never admit this to them, but I was most excited about seeing the lighthouse. It was supposed to be turning 500 years old this summer and it's one of Riverside's greatest architectural monuments. I was determined to see it, even if I had to sneak off by myself to do it.

"Annabeth!" I heard my Dad yell across the airport "Come on! Let's go, the car is in the parking lot!" I turn to Thalia and Piper to tell them that it's time to go. As I turn around again to see where my Dad is, I feel a sudden bang on my head, and just before I hit the floor a teenage boy with dark untamed hair and the most dazzling sea green eyes catches me. I got one last glance of him before my vision went completely black.

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**Author's Note:**

**Annabeth: Wow, way to go Seaweed Brain! Now I'll have a bump on my head the size of China!**

**Percy: How do you know it was me?!**

**Annabeth: Who else would be THAT clumsy?**

**Percy: ... Ok, you've got a point there. But that still doesn't prove it was me!**

**Me: Give it up Percy, she got you.**

**Percy: Whose side are you on anyways?!**

**Me: No one's! All I wanted to say was that the next chapter will be coming soon, so stay tuned and if you'd like to review what I have so far, then please feel free to do so. :) By the way, sorry that this chapter is so short, I'm still getting the hang of all this and I will make an effort to make the chapters longer. **


	4. Green Eyes Meet Grey

**Hey guys, sorry I couldn't update on the weekend, I was doing some family stuff. But, I'm back now and I'm excited to continue the story. :) So here it is chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PJO! **

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**Percy POV**

"Holy crap Perce! You weren't kidding when you said you needed our help!" Leo exclaimed when he saw the huge pyramid of boxes that we had to move. "I wasn't kidding when I said that my Mom goes overboard when ordering her supplies." Even though I've hauled her shipments before, it still made me wonder how my Mom could possibly use all of these supplies in less than three months!

My mom was nice enough to give us a trolley to help us move the boxes to the cart. Nico let out an exasperated groan when he tried to lift one of the boxes. Jason looked at the label of the box and started laughing. "What?" Nico asked, clearly annoyed that he couldn't lift the box on his own. "Man, I think you need to go to the gym or something, because apparently, you can't even lift a box of sprinkles." We all started to laugh after that "HEY!" Nico argued, "It's a lot heavier than it looks!" but you could tell his embarrassment because his face went from white to tomato red.

Living on a small island such as this, I was lucky enough to find some pretty amazing friends. There was Leo, the big jokester of the group. No matter what mood you were in, he'd always find a way to make you laugh. He has medium length curly brown hair, elf like ears, and a mischievous smile that made any adult think that he was always up to something; which he usually was. There was also Jason, who was kind of like the father figure of the group. He did his best to try to keep us out of trouble, especially Leo, but sometimes he let his rebellious side get the best of him which helped him to let loose and break some rules. He's around my height with short blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a slight scar above his mouth from when he was three. We always teased him whenever girls would try to flirt with him, but he never seemed to care for any of them. And finally there's Nico. Even though Nico has lived here his whole life, at first glance, no one would assume it. He seems to be the only person on this island who has never gotten tan. He has dark black hair with bangs that cover his eyes and he frequently wears dark coloured clothes even though dark colours attract the sun. What I respected about Nico was that he never cared what other people thought of him, and he was loyal to a fault. In fact, I could count on all of my buddies to have my back. I guess that's why all of us have been friends for years, since we could all trust each other.

"Percy, how many more boxes are left?" Grover asked, clearly exhausted from the amount of lifting we've been doing for the past hour. "There's only one more left." I answered "You and Leo get the last one, while I grab this wooden beam, and then we can head over to my Mom's store." "Sounds like a plan, just be careful with that thing," Leo warned "I almost knocked out Jason with one earlier."

"Don't worry, I'm not as clumsy as you Leo." I joked, but I spoke too soon. As I quickly turned around with the beam on my shoulder, I heard a sudden bang. I dropped the beam once I saw that I hit someone right on the head. Her face went from a pained expression, to a confused look, and then her eyes started to cross over and I knew she was going to fall. I caught her just before she hit the floor. I saw the colour of her eyes just before she closed them, and I almost dropped her from the shock. They were stormy grey, almost the same colour as the storm clouds from... that horrific day.

Two girls came running to her aid as I laid her down gently on the ground. I guessed that they were her friends from the panicked look that they had. I backed off as they knelt by her side mumbling her name, trying to wake her up. I studied the three girls and realized that I have never seen any of them before, so they must be tourists.

_Wow Percy, nice job! You knock out this poor girl on her first day on this island... Way to make her feel welcomed. _The sarcastic voice in my head told me. _Shut up! It was an accident! _I retorted _How was I supposed to know she was right behind me?! _

_Oh I don't know, _replied the voice _maybe turn your head FIRST before swinging that beam like a madman? _I ignored it after that.

"OH MY GOD! ANNABETH!" I turned my head to see a man running down the airport like no tomorrow. He knelt by the girl, who I guessed was Annabeth, and I could instantly see the family resemblance. He didn't have her stormy grey eyes, but they had similar facial features.

After a few minutes, Annabeth's eyes started to flutter open and instantly there was a pained expression on her face. She sat up and her hand touched the incredibly large bump on her head. She winced from the contact and then turned to one of her friends. "Thalia, what the heck happened?" Realizing that I was still there, the one named Thalia turned her head towards me and gave me one of the scariest glares I have ever seen. I'm not usually afraid of girls, but her electric blue eyes cut through me like a knife.

"This idiot over here hit you square in the head with a wooden beam," she began "he knocked you out cold and you almost hit the floor, but... luckily" she said that word with disgust "he caught you before you fell." By this time, my friends were all behind me snickering at what I had done. "Wow Percy, and I'm the clumsy one?" Leo teased. I gave him a death stare that sent a message clearly stating to shut up, but he just laughed.

I walked over to Annabeth and stretched my hand out to her. "Hey look, I'm really sorry for hitting you in the head, it was a complete accident." I said apologetically. I stared into her intense grey eyes and felt my face start to burn up. "Let me help you up." She was about to grab my hand when her father took it instead. "I think you've done enough helping for one day." he told me bitterly. With the help of her father Annabeth stood up and that's when I finally got a good look at her.

She was tall, but not as tall as me, she had long, curly blonde hair that looked princess like, even though I could tell that she doesn't try to make it that way, and a perfect Californian tan. She was just, wow, I can't even put it into words. Jaw dropping gorgeous. Yeah, that's a good way to put it.

I felt Grover nudge me and whisper "Perce, quit drooling." I quickly wiped my mouth hoping that no one but Grover noticed. Leo and Nico were snickering at me in the corner so it was pretty obvious that they saw which just made me blush. "Do you need directions to get to anyplace in particular?" Jason asked the group, but for some reason, he was only looking at the girl with long, choppy brown hair. She smiled at him, which to my surprise, made his face turn a light shade of pink. "Yes actually, do you know where the strip is? We need to get there so we can get the keys to the beach house we rented." she explained "Oh yeah, just take route 55 out - "

As Jason described how to get to the strip, I looked at Annabeth and noticed that she was staring at me. She quickly looked away which made me kind of self conscious. _What is happening to me?_ I thought _Why am I acting so weird around this girl?_ I walked up to her and decided to introduce myself. "I'm Percy by the way, and I really am sorry for hurting you." She was about to reply when her father grabbed her arm and took her away. "Come on Annabeth, we're leaving now." As she walked away, she turned her head to look at me and she gave me a small smile.

***In the truck***

"And then, I looked at him and noticed he was drooling! Can you believe it?! Percy Jackson, drooling over a girl he just knocked out with a board!" Everyone roared with laughter as Grover explained my embarrassing moment. My face was emotionless as everyone teased me about Annabeth. Remember when I said that my friends were the best? Yeah, scratch that, they all suck. I desperately tried to change the subject and an idea popped into my head. "So Jason, what was going on with you and that brunette?" Everyone went silent. _Yes! _I thought _That caught their attention. _Jason was silent for a moment and finally said "What do you mean? There was nothing going on..." I smirked "Oh really? The redness on your face when she smiled at you begs to differ." That's when everyone switched their teasing from me to Jason. Jason gave me his best glare, but being the mature guy that I am, I just stuck my tongue out at him.

After we dropped off the supplies at my Mom's store, we decided to go to my house to hang out. My house is located right beside the beach. My Dad and his friends built it long before I was born. It was a regular sized house, with three bedrooms, a large kitchen, a fireplace, a deck, and an ocean view in every window. I loved it, especially since it had that salty ocean smell.

I parked my truck in the driveway and we all got out. Nico asked me "Hey Percy, were you expecting some new neighbours?" I gave him a puzzled look "Not that I know of, why?" "Because a car just parked in the beach house next door, and since no one lives there, I thought someone was moving in." As I looked at the red car drive in I said "Oh, no that place is for when tourists come to visit." I was about to go into my house when Leo called "Hey Percy," in a teasing tone "looks like your new girlfriend is going to be your next door neighbour this summer!"

I stopped in my tracks and turned around, wishing that Leo was just pulling another one of his practical jokes. But he was right. I saw a girl with curly blonde hair and intense grey eyes jump out of the car, and I instantly knew it was Annabeth. What did I do once I found out Annabeth would be living next door to me this summer? Well, I did the only manly thing I thought possible... run inside my house before I embarrass myself, again.

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**Author's Note:**

**I hope you liked the chapter! I tried to make it longer since my other ones were so short. Anyways, feel free to review if you wish! :) Next chapter will be coming soon! Oh, and thanks for all the positive reviews that have already been given. You guys are amazing!**


	5. What Was I Thinking?

**Hey guys! So, in one of the reviews that I received, someone gave me an idea for the story that I thought was brilliant. I just had to incorporate it in the story and as I thought about it, I was able to come up with a way to put it in. So if any of you have any ideas that you think can go well with the story, tell me and I'll consider putting it in. I'm always open to suggestions to make this story better. :) Now onto chapter 5!**

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**Annabeth POV**

Well, that was an interesting morning. Not even 10 minutes into this vacation and I manage to get myself whacked in the head by a wooden beam. I guess it wasn't a completely terrible accident though. Of course my head hurts like no tomorrow and I'll probably have to drink Tylenol for the next two weeks, but at least I got to meet Percy. He seems like a pretty decent guy when he's not swinging wooden boards around. Once I was finally able to see straight after I woke up from my blackout, I inspected him from head to toe. He was tall and well built with dark messy hair, an even tan, and incredible sea green eyes that you could just get lost in.

Now I know what your thinking _Oh Annabeth, so you like Percy right? You're going to start dating him and then he'll be your boyfriend and then you'll live happily ever after! _Yeah well, I don't think that's going to happen. First of all, I don't like Percy in that way, I mean he seems like a nice guy, but I don't have any feelings for him. Second of all, if I were to date him, what would happen at the end of the summer? Long distance relationships never work out so why even bother trying? Now if only Thalia and Piper would understand the message that I was trying to portray.

As the four of us rode in the car on our way to the strip, Thalia and Piper would not shut up about Percy and I. Whenever they made another comment about him, I would give them my best death stare. It's not that I was uncomfortable talking about him or the accident, it's just that my Dad was in the car with us. Talk about awkward! I'd rather not have my father listening in to Thalia and Piper talking about how Percy would stare at me whenever I wasn't looking. From the way his body would tense up from the sound of his name, I could tell that the conversation was making my Dad feel uncomfortable. I think he should have expected these types of discussions when he brought three seventeen year old girls on vacation with him. Well, then again my Dad still treats me like I'm seven so whenever the subject of boys pops up, he would start stammering and make up an excuse to leave the room. I guess that's who I get my amazing social skills from.

After 15 minutes, we finally make it to the house rental place. Thalia and Piper jump out of the car, and I was about to follow their lead when my Dad stops me. He looks at me with a serious expression on his face and says "Annabeth, I really don't want you seeing this Percy boy. He seems like trouble and I don't trust him one bit." I was surprised by this since my Dad has never told me his input on any guy before, but I just said "Don't worry Dad, I doubt I'll ever see him again, and if I do, I'll just ignore him." He eased his expression and said "That's my girl."

We went into the rental store and I noticed that only one man was working there. He was middle aged with brown hair and a scruffy beard. His smile was so friendly that you just couldn't help but smile back. "Hello and welcome to Riverside! My name is Chiron, what can I help you with today?" "We're here to pick up the keys to the beach house we're renting this summer" my Dad responded. "Oh of course. You're Frederick Chase right?" My father nodded "Then you'll be staying at 33 Paradise Valley Blvd. It's about 5 minutes away from here to your left." My Dad thanked Chiron as he gave him the keys and we drove off to our new temporary home.

I couldn't help but admire at how incredibly beautiful the island was as we were driving to the beach house. It felt like I was looking at one of those postcards you could find at the dollar store. Everything was just so peaceful, bright, and full of life that I could just stare at it for hours. "Oh my God! Is that it?!" I was brought back to reality from Thalia's yelling in the back seat. As we entered the driveway of the house, both Thalia and Piper's jaw dropped. I'm not going to lie, I was in complete shock as well. The house was absolutely enormous! It was white, with many different shaped windows overlooking the ocean. It was also two stories high with a deck that had these beautiful silver columns sustaining it. It was so perfect on the outside that I just couldn't wait to see how it looked like on the inside.

Piper and Thalia started snickering while we were getting out of the car. "Hey Annabeth, looks like we don't need to introduce ourselves to the neighbours!" Piper teased. I looked at the house next to us and I was able to catch a glance at a tall black haired boy run into the house. _Really? _I thought to myself _Out of all the houses on this island, I get the house right next door to the guy who I'm not supposed to associate with?! This is going to be a lot harder than I thought._

"Great." I heard my Dad mumble as he brought the luggage in the house "It had to be him!" I noticed Percy's friends coming towards us, but I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. I helped my Dad bring in some of the luggage and I quickly ran upstairs to claim my room for the summer. I picked a room that had light blue paint on the walls, a queen sized bed, and two large windows. One window faced the ocean while the other faced the side of Percy's house. I was unpacking my clothes from my suitcase and putting them into the drawers when Thalia and Piper walked in.

"Wow, Annabeth! I'm pretty sure you got the best room in the house!" Thalia exclaimed. "Most definitely," Piper agreed "especially since it has a perfect view to Percy's room." My eyes widened "What?!" I look out the window and notice that she's right. I was clearly able to see Percy walking around in his room... shirtless, if I might add. I caught myself staring so I quickly shut the blinds before anyone could notice.

I felt my face start to burn up as I turned to face Thalia and Piper who were both giving me the same smirk. Annoyed, I asked them "What are you guys doing here?" "Well," Thalia began "we wanted to inform you that we have been officially invited to the first summer party of the year." "Really?" I asked surprised. Usually, we were never invited to anything. "Where is it?" "It's a bonfire a few houses down from here." Piper answered "These two brothers are hosting it and every teen on the island is welcome to come." "How did you find out about this?" I wondered "Percy's friends told us about it."

_Great! _I thought _So, Percy is obviously going to be there if his friends are going. My Dad won't ever let me go now._

I didn't want to disappoint my friends by telling them that I couldn't go, but I also didn't want to disobey my Dad. Thalia and Piper seemed so excited about the party so after a quick debate with myself, I decided that a white lie to my Dad wouldn't be sooo bad. "So when's the party?" I ask "It's at 9 tonight, so in like a few hours. I'm going to go eat something before we leave." Thalia said while walking out the door. "And I'm going to go take a nap, that plane ride just made me extremely sleepy." Piper said as she followed Thalia out of my room. I thought that a nap wasn't such a bad idea, so I laid on my bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

_"Annabeth, did you enjoy coming to work with me today?" my mother asked me as we were driving back home. "Oh yes Mommy! When I grow up, I'm going to be an arcatact just like you!" My mother smiled "Architect honey, and yes, I bet you will be the greatest architect the world has ever seen!" I beamed at her compliment. "Are we going to get home soon mommy? I'm getting hungry." "We'll be home soon Annabeth, we're just going to go a different route." my mother explained "There's a lot of traffic, so we're going to try to go around it." After a few minutes of comfortable silence, I hear my mother humming to herself. She was humming the song that she'd always sing to me whenever she'd put me to sleep. It was so soothing that my eyelids began to close until I felt the car suddenly jerk. I scream in terror as I feel an unexpected impact on the driver's side of the car. That's when the car flipped in midair and landed right side up. Glass was scattered all over the place and I could see my mother's blood splattered around. I desperately tried to get myself out of the car so that I could get to my mother before the ambulance arrived. I succeeded in maneuvering my way around the broken glass without getting too many cuts. It was difficult since I could feel my head and knees throbbing and bleeding from the harsh impact. I heard the sirens as I went to the driver's side of the car and frantically tried to get my mother out. I managed to get half of her body out, but she was crying out in pain telling me to stop. I had tears in my eyes as I looked at her, but she just smiled her beautiful warm smile at me. Her breathing was slow, but she still managed to speak "Annabeth, please don't cry, there's something I have to tell you before the paramedics take me away." "W-What is it mommy?" I asked, trying to hide the fear from my face "Annabeth, you are the most beautiful, most intelligent, and most kind hearted girl I have ever met, and I am so proud to call you my daughter." Her breaths were becoming choppy as she continued "I just ask that you do something for me." "Anything!" I exclaimed, obviously frightened beyond belief. "I need you to try to take some more chances in life." I looked at her, clearly confused "What I mean is, don't always go by the rules. Sometimes, it's better to follow your instincts and your heart rather than what other people tell you is right." She took one last breath as she said "And take care of your father for me. He'll need you more than you know. I love you both." That was the last thing she said before the paramedics took her away from me. All I did after that was cry. _

I woke up with a start. I haven't had that nightmare in a long time. I looked outside and realized the sun was setting so I checked my clock. It was 8:15pm so I quickly got up and got dressed. I put on an white t-shirt, with jean shorts, and tied my hair in a high ponytail. As I went downstairs to meet the others, I noticed that I was the first one down there. My Dad was in the kitchen when he saw me walk down the stairs. "Are you excited about your first party?" he asked "It's not my first party Dad, and yeah I guess so." My Dad's eyes widened "It's not?!" I rolled my eyes and went to grab a coke from the fridge. My Dad cleared his throat as he said "Well, we still have to lay down some ground rules. One, no drinking. Two, no drugs. Three, curfew is at midnight and if you have to stay any longer for any particular reason, you have to call me or else you'll be grounded." Thalia and Piper started walking downstairs as I said "Alright I agree to the terms. Anything else? We have to go now" My Dad thought for a moment and then with a seriously deathly look in his eyes said "If under any circumstances, I find out that a boy has executed or attempted to execute any physical contact with you, then I will personally tear him to pieces and you shall never see the light of day again." I quickly pushed Thalia and Piper out the door after that. "Don't worry Dad! Nothing is going to happen, I promise!"

"Well... that was the scariest thing I've ever seen." said Thalia still in shock after my Dad's warning/death threat. "Don't worry, he doesn't really mean it." I said trying to lighten the mood. _At least I hope he doesn't_ I thought.

We finally reach the party and the beach was overflowing with teenagers. Thalia, Piper, and I decided to split up and look for something to drink. As I make my way through the crowd I think to myself _There are so many people here that you probably won't even see Percy. _I find the refreshment table when I suddenly hear a deep voice hovering behind me "Hey Annabeth, I didn't know you were coming." I turn around to be face to face with Percy and his amazing green eyes. _What? No! You're not supposed to think that! In fact, you're not supposed to even be talking to him so what the heck are you doing?! _I ignored the voice in my head and casually said "Hey Percy, yeah Thalia and Piper told me about the party so I thought it would be a good way to meet some new people." "Cool, maybe we can all hang out together." he replied as he poured himself a cup of cherry coke. I was about to make up an excuse when a girl with long and extremely curly red hair appeared next to us.

"Hey Percy!" she said in a flirtatious voice. Percy rolled his eyes when she wasn't looking and said "Hey Rachel. Have you met Annabeth?" "I haven't had the pleasure." I held out my hand to greet her, but she just looked at me with disgust and returned her gaze back to Percy. "So I missed you! What do you say about us hanging out inside for a while?" "Actually," Percy said, trying desperately to unhook himself from her grasp "I was going to hang out with Annabeth and her friends since they're new here and a-" he couldn't finish the sentence since Rachel interrupted him with a sudden kiss. The sight of these two kissing just made me want to gag. I quickly turned away so that I could try to find either Thalia or Piper. I guess I turned too quickly because I bumped into someone who was carrying a tray filled with cups of pop and beer. The tray spilled all over me causing the drinks to stain my shirt and pants, not to mention make me smell like I just came out of a beer store.

I was so embarrassed that I ran from the party leaving the sounds of laughter behind me. I could feel my face turning red and the tears threatening to stream down my eyes. The last thing I heard was a distant "Annabeth! Wait!"

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**Author's Note:**

**Wow, that took so long! This is the longest chapter I've written so far so I hope you guys enjoyed it. :) More will be coming as soon as possible! Remember to review or comment if you'd like!**


	6. Blue Cookies & Stupid Clocks

**Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I had a serious case of writer's block, but I'm back! Hopefully it won't happen again. :P So, here's chapter 6!**

**Warning: There may be some foul language in this chapter, just so you know.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own PJO! (as much as I'd like to) **

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**Percy POV**

I can't believe I just did that. What kind of guy runs away from a girl?! I mean, sure she's incredibly beautiful with these hypnotic grey eyes, and long curly hair, and this smile that just - _"SNAP OUT OF IT!" _my head warns me _"She'll just hurt you like SHE did..." _I agreed with myself. Ha! That sounds weird to say... But anyways, I did agree. I couldn't let some girl turn my brain into mush by just thinking about her! The last girl who was able to do that to me hurt me so bad that I... you know what, I'd rather not talk about that right now.

I went up to my room to try to clear my head. My room was big, open, and completely messy. The walls were blue and green with little wave designs that my Mom painted when I was born. I loved my room not only because it was the biggest room in the house, but also because I got a perfect ocean view from my window. If I ever had trouble sleeping at night, I'd just open the window and I could hear the waves crash against the shore. It was so soothing that I'd fall asleep instantly.

I was still weirded out with the whole Annabeth moving next door to me thing, so I thought that it might be a good idea to go for a swim. I threw my shirt in the closest clothing pile and rummaged through my closet for my trunks. I put them on and then started to look for my goggles when I felt like someone was watching me. I looked out my window just in time to see someone next door with golden hair close the blinds.

_OH MY GOSH! _I thought _Annabeth's room is directly across from mine!_ At least she has blinds to keep her privacy. I refused to get them when my Mom offered to buy me some because I thought it would destroy my view of the ocean. Now, I wish I had them.

My thoughts were interrupted once I heard a rhythmic knocking on the door, so I yelled for whoever it was to come in. Leo and Grover stepped in my room and chuckled. "Holy Hephaestus Percy!" Leo exclaimed "It looks like your closet just barfed up everything you own!" "Well, sorry!" I replied sarcastically "I wasn't expecting any visitors." "Clearly" Grover mumbled. I gave him a look and asked in an annoyed tone "What do you guys want?" Leo placed his hand over his chest and put a hurt expression on his face. "Well, that's a harsh tone your giving to the people who just invited your new neighbours to the Stoll's' party today."

My face paled. I couldn't believe what I was hearing... Annabeth was coming to the party tonight. Both Leo and Grover grinned at me; they were obviously waiting for me to thank them or something, but that wasn't going to happen. I looked at them dumbfounded and asked in a quiet voice "What did Annabeth say?" "Oh, she went in the house before we got a chance to talk to her. But her friends, Thalia and Piper, said that they'd all be going." Grover replied "Piper's pretty cool, but Thalia scares the crap out of me" Leo commented. I knew how he felt. Just remembering those piercing eyes gave me shivers.

"So you better dress nice!" Grover warned "You want to make a good second impression on her, since your first impression wasn't the greatest." "Alright." I agreed hesitantly "But, I'll only go if all of you guys do too" "Don't worry, we got your back Perce!" Leo said while patting me on the back "Plus, you can count Jason and Nico in for sure. It seems as if they've got a bit of a crush on Annabeth's friends." I laughed as we walked out onto the deck. "I'm going for a swim you guys so, I'll see you at the party." They waved goodbye as they walked back to the front of the house. "Oh and by the way," I yelled "this doesn't mean that I'm into Annabeth!" "Sure it doesn't!" they replied in unison, but I could still hear the sarcasm in their voices. This is going to be a LONG summer.

***Page Break - At the Party***

The Stolls had overdone themselves this year. I'm pretty sure that every teenager on the island was here, which made it a hundred times more difficult to find Annabeth. Not that I was looking for her or anything... I mean, if I saw her it would be rude to not say hi right?

My friends decided to split up ten minutes into the party. So much for having my back. I was awkwardly standing by the fire when people started giving me weird looks. _Can't a guy just stand by a fire, alone, while fiddling with his fingers without having people stare at him strangely?_ I thought. I decided to go do something productive and get a drink. That's when I saw her. I didn't see her face, but I instantly knew it was her from her curly golden hair. "Hey Annabeth, I didn't know you were coming" I lied. She turned around and I caught my breath. Her ponytail helped me see her face more clearly in the dimly lit night. She wore no makeup, a plain white t-shirt, and jean shorts... And she looked absolutely stunning.

_Stop thinking that! _I scolded myself _She's too good for you anyways. Why would she like a beach bum like you? _Wow, I'm kinda harsh sometimes...

I was brought back to reality when she started speaking "Hey Percy, yeah Thalia and Piper told me about the party so I thought it would be a good way to meet some new people." Without thinking I replied "Cool, maybe we can all hang out together." She opened her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by the person that I hate the most on this island. Well, one of them at least.

"Hey Percy!" I cringed at the sound of my own name. Rachel stood right next to me (too close for comfort, if I might add) wearing this tight green shirt and short shorts. I rolled my eyes when she wasn't looking because I hated when girls dressed that way, it just screamed "ATTENTION WHORE!" I was mostly annoyed since I was having a successful conversation with Annabeth and she just had to come and ruin it.

"Hey Rachel." I said nonchalantly "Have you met Annabeth?" "I haven't had the pleasure." Annabeth held out her hand to greet her, but she just rudely shrugged it away. _What a BIT-_ "So I missed you!" My thoughts were cut short by Rachel "What do you say about us hanging out inside for a while?" She then hooked herself onto my arm and started batting her eyelashes at me. I desperately tried to break free, but MAN did she have a good grip! "Actually" I began saying as I continued to squirm in her grasp "I was going to hang out with Annabeth and her friends since they're new here and a-" Rachel then cut me short with a surprising kiss. I couldn't even comprehend what was happening, so my mind just kept repeating _"What the FUCK is going on!?" _(Excuse my language, I don't usually swear like that, but in this case it was necessary).

I heard a sudden crash which distracted Rachel enough for me to break free. I looked in the direction of the noise and saw Annabeth with pop and beer spilled all over her. Her face was beat red from embarrassment and I couldn't help but feel bad for her. As soon as the laughing began, she started running straight towards the strip. "What a loser!" Rachel said in-between her laughter. She tried to kiss me again, but I pushed her off before she got the chance. I then ran after Annabeth yelling for her to stop, but she just kept going without any sign of slowing down.

After a good 15 minutes of running after Annabeth, she finally started to slow down once we reached the strip. She probably realized that she went the wrong direction and that her house was on the west side of the island, not the east. I put my hand on her shoulder as I tried to catch my breath "Annabeth" was the only word I was able to get out when she turned around and yelled "WHAT?!" She startled me so much, I fell backwards and hit the pavement. Her expression turned from anger to apologetic in seconds as she held out her hand to help me up.

"I'm so sorry Percy," she said as I took her hand. I swear it felt like an electric current went through me when our hands touched. "I just don't take humiliation very well." She sighed as she let her face fall. I know I've only known her for a day, but seeing her like this just made me want to punch a wall.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad." I said trying to make her feel better "In freshman year, I went to try out for the swim team. I was the only ninth grader that had the guts to do it since the rest of the guys on the team were either juniors or seniors." She started to look up at me and I knew I had gotten her attention. Now, I just needed to finish this... embarrassing memory. "After the tryout was over, I went to the locker room to shower. Once I was done I reached for my towel, but it wasn't there. I went to the locker where I had put my clothes and swimsuit, but they were gone too. All that was left was a note saying _"See you next tryout freshman! - the Swim Team P.S. Check the flag pole for your clothes"" _"Oh my gods!" Annabeth chimed in "What did you do?" I felt my face turn a little pink as I began finishing the story "I ran down the halls, completely naked except for this binder that I found to cover myself. I knew that if I could make it to the principal's office before the bell rang, I would be safe from people seeing me. But, of course, with my luck, that didn't happen. I was one hallway away when the bell rang. Everyone started to come out of the classrooms, but then they stopped when they saw me. All I remember was my face turning completely red and the roar of laughter as I took my walk of shame to the principal's office."

Once I finished telling the most humiliating memory of my life, I looked at Annabeth to see her response. At first she just stared at me, then, her mouth began to twitch, and finally she couldn't hold in her laughter anymore. Even though it was at my expense, I was glad to see her laughing. The sound of her laughter was so angelic and contagious, that I couldn't help but laugh with her.

Once we finally calmed down, she smiled at me and said "Thanks Seaweed Brain, I needed that." I looked at her confused by the new name she called me "Seaweed Brain?" "Yeah, Seaweed Brain. Since your head is obviously filled with kelp." she joked "Well," I began as I desperately tried to think of a good comeback "you're welcome... ummm" "Yes?" she asked expectantly "I don't have a good nickname for you yet," I admitted "but when I do, you'll be the first to know." "Looking forward to it" she smirked.

We walked in comfortable silence around the strip when I got an idea. "Would you like some clean clothes? My Mom's shop is just across the street and she always keeps some extra in the back." She looked at her watch and replied "I really should be getting back. Thalia and Piper are probably wondering where I am." "Come on, it will only take a minute. Plus, you don't want to go home smelling like beer do you?" She thought for a minute and finally agreed.

I opened my Mom's shop and I could instantly smell the sweets that surrounded the store. "Wow!" Annabeth exclaimed "This place smells amazing!" "And it tastes even better" I replied. I went to the back and got her a clean white shirt and a pair of beige shorts. "The washroom's on the left" She nodded in thanks and went to go change. I looked at the sweets that my Mom had displayed in the see through glass cases, and I just couldn't help myself. _One can't hurt right? _I took off the glass cover and ate the chewy blue cookie. "Mmmmm" was the only sound that came out of my mouth. _One more won't be too noticeable... _I began eating my second blue cookie when Annabeth snuck up behind me. "Late night snack Seaweed Brain?" I jumped and almost knocked over the entire case of sweets. Annabeth's cheeks went a little pink as she apologized. "Want one? They're delicious!" "You sure you're Mom won't mind?" she asked "Of course not!" She hesitantly took the cookie and tried it. As she bit into it, her eyes widened. "This... is the BEST cookie I have ever tasted!" she exclaimed "I told you they were delicious" I grinned as she took two more cookies and basically swallowed them whole. I did the same and between us both, we ate around twenty cookies.

"I'm stuffed!" I proclaimed as I slid down to the floor. "Me too!" Annabeth replied as she sat next to me. "You know, I have never seen a girl eat that many cookies in my entire life." "You should see Thalia eat," Annabeth said as a smile crept on her face "that girl can eat like a monster truck driver!" We laughed together for a while until I made the horrible mistake of looking into her eyes. It felt as if they caught me in a trap because I couldn't look away. She noticed me staring and then our eyes locked on each other.

We stayed like that for a few minutes and I couldn't help but notice every single detail about her. The way some strands of her hair fall on her face. The way her shoulder is brushing slightly against mine. The way her hand is literally centimetres away from my own. The way her cheeks look flushed when she laughs. The way her lips move when she smiles.

That's when I noticed that I was leaning in. _WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? _I yelled at myself _You haven't even known this girl for more than a day and you're going to KISS her!?_

I couldn't stop. I just kept getting closer, and closer. She wasn't moving, she just stared at me with those beautiful grey eyes. We were an inch away when my Mom's stupid cuckoo clock rang. It startled the both of us and we jumped in opposite directions. We were beat red as the cuckoo clock sang, indicating that it was midnight. Annabeth's face went from embarrassed to fear as she looked at the clock. "Oh no... Please don't tell me it's midnight! My Dad's going to kill me!" She quickly got up and ran out of the store. I shook the almost kiss out of my head and ran after her.

Annabeth wait!" I yelled as I tried to catch up with her. She stopped and quickly turned around. "Percy, I'm sorry, I really have to go" she said hurriedly. "I have to ask you something first." I said "What is it?" "There's going to be a festival on the fourth of July in the town park. Can I see you there?" She looked hesitant so I added "You can bring Thalia and Piper along too, and I'll bring my friends." She stared at me for a minute and finally accepted. She gave me a quick hug and said "Thanks for making me feel better Percy, you're not as bad as I thought." She then ran towards her house. "See you later Annabeth!" I yelled after her "Goodbye Seaweed Brain!" she yelled in reply as she disappeared into the darkness.

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**Author's Note:**

**Wow, so this is my longest chapter yet. I hope it somewhat made up for my absence. :) Please remember to review or comment on the story if you'd like! **


	7. Operation Ditch & Dash

**Alright! New chapter! :D Oh my gods guys my grandma just made banana bread! If only it was blue... Oh right sorry, back to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson! Rick does! ... man this is getting annoying to write**

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**Annabeth POV**

I ran like my life depended on it. There's no way that I was going to get grounded on my first day here! Especially since Percy invited me to the fourth of July festival... OH MY GODS! My Dad's going to freak when he finds out that I was late because I was hanging out with Percy! _You mean... IF he finds out. _The mischievous voice in my head told me. _Right, _I thought back _IF is good. _

Now, don't go thinking that I actually enjoy lying to my Dad. I absolutely hate it because I feel like I'm betraying his trust. Although, in some cases such as this one, it's better off that he didn't know.

I finally saw my house in the distance and noticed that the porch light was on, which wasn't a good sign. As I walked up the steps, I checked my watch for the hundredth time that night and saw that it read 12:10. _Only ten minutes, _I thought m_aybe he'll just let it slide. _Boy... was I wrong. The second I stepped into the house I heard my Dad yell "WHERE IN GOD'S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN?!" I flinched as I closed the door behind me. _Here we go, just keep calm and don't yell back. _The last time I talked back to my Dad, it ended with me sleeping over at Thalia's for a good three weeks.

"I have been calling your cell phone for the past ten minutes! Why haven't you answered?!" Oh crap! My cell phone! I reached into my pocket but it wasn't there. Let's just say I had a little mini heart attack, but I showed no sign of panic when I responded "It must have been on silent Dad, I'm really sorry. I should have called like you had instructed me to. I'll go to my room now." I did a quick speed walk to the stairs and I would have made it if my Dad hadn't yelled "STOP!"

I turned around slowly and faced my furious father. He got up from the lounge chair that he was sitting at and walked up to me while keeping a hold of my gaze. At first his expression was filled with anger, but after a minute it softened and his eyes had a bit of worry in them. "Annabeth, I'm sorry that I yelled. I admit, it was an overreaction... but I worry about you a lot. You're the only family that I have left and I just couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you." I gave him a big bear hug and said "You will never lose me Dad. I promise." "I'll hold you to that promise" he whispered as he smiled into my hair. "Oh and by the way," he began as we pulled apart "you're grounded for a week."

I couldn't believe this! After this whole heartfelt moment, he still wanted to ground me! On any other occasion I would have accepted it, but I was determined to go to that festival. I just had to see Percy again. I don't know what my Dad was thinking when he told me to stay away from him. He seems like a nice guy, even if his head is filled with kelp. Oh my gosh, and don't even get me started on our almost kiss. When he started to lean in, I just couldn't move. It's like his eyes put me in this strange trance. I could have just sat there all night - _FOCUS ANNABETH! _Oh, sorry. Anyways, despite what you think, the Seaweed Brain and I are just friends. I know you probably don't believe me since I was mooning over him just a second ago, but it's true. I am determined to keep our relationship friendly and nothing more. Why you might ask? Well, it might have to do with the fact that I won't see him again once the summer's over. So why go through the heartache? Now even though I just want to stay friends, that doesn't mean that I won't lunge at any opportunity that I can take to see him. Which is why... I need a plan, and fast.

"But Dad," I retorted "I was really hoping that we could go to the fourth of July festival. I heard that there's even free barbecue!" My Dad thought for a moment "I don't know Annabeth..." I put on my best puppy dog pout "We can all go together! We'll eat, listen to the bands play, maybe go on some rides-" "Ok, ok!" my Dad exclaimed in surrender "I'll cut your punishment short since we are on vacation and all." I thanked him and ran upstairs before he could change his mind. I know what you might be thinking, _Why would you bring you're Dad to the festival if you're going there to see Percy? _Well my friends, that's just phase one of my genius plan called 'Operation Ditch and Dash'. The second phase happens after an hour or two into the festival. I'll simply distract my Dad when we go for lunch, and make a run for it. When he asks me where I've been, I'll just say that I got lost in the crowd. It's completely full proof! Alright, I know it's kind of cruel, but my Dad will never agree to go to the festival if he knew it was to see Percy. I know that honesty is always the best policy, but a little white lie won't hurt anyone right?

I noticed that Thalia still had her light on in her room, so I decided to go in and say goodnight. As I poked my head in, she swung the door open and tackled me to the floor. "Where the heck were you!?" she yelled as she pinned my arms down so that I had no chance to escape. "Would you be quiet!" I whispered loudly "Piper's probably sleeping by now!" "No I'm not." a voice chimed in from behind Thalia "Actually, I was wondering the same thing." They both gave me a murderous glare and I knew that I had to tell them everything that happened. There's no way that I could lie to either of them openly since they could read me like a book. I pushed Thalia off of me with my knee and said "Fine! I'll tell you what happened." "Every detail" Thalia warned. I sighed as I sat on the bed and told them the whole story... well, except for one specific moment.

"Wow, seems like you had a pretty eventful night!" Piper teased. "Do you have any cookies left?" Piper punched Thalia in the arm "I was just asking!" she cried as she rubbed the red mark left on her pale skin. "I need to ask you guys for a favor" they looked at me expectantly "I need you to help me sneak away from my Dad when we go to the festival." "Why do you want to sneak away from him?" Piper asked. Now it was Thalia's turn to punch Piper "So that she can go see her boyfriend of course!" "He's not my boyfriend!" I protested "He's just a friend and anyways, who would you guys rather hang out with? People our own age... or my father?" They exchanged glances and agreed to help me. 'Operation Ditch and Dash' was now underway.

***Page Break - The Fourth of July***

The festival was incredible! Who knew you could fit so many attractions into one park!? There was a huge circus tent, a Ferris wheel, a carousel, and a petting zoo! They also had street performers, some small roller coasters, a stage for local bands to play at, and, Thalia's favorite part, free all-you-can-eat barbecue! "This is like, a dream come true!" Thalia exclaimed as she wiped a tear of joy from her eye. I rolled my eyes as she walked towards the barbecue tent, but stopped her before she stepped inside. "Remember the plan Thalia" I whispered to her "We have to wait an hour or two, eat, and the sneak away from my Dad" she nodded glumly as the four of us strolled towards the circus tent.

I'll admit it, I had a lot of fun going to the festival with my Dad. He wasn't as embarrassing as I thought he would be, and he even cracked a few good jokes every once in a while. I started to feel a bit guilty by leaving him, but I had already decided to commit to the plan so I had to go through with it. "I've really enjoyed myself Annabeth. It was a good idea to come here." he said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder "I'm glad you thought so" I replied giving him a small smile "Why don't we go have something to eat?" Thalia suggested for the fiftieth time in a row. "Yes please! I'm famished!" my Dad exclaimed.

"Oh would you look at that! No tables!" I proclaimed disappointingly. "I've got an idea!" Piper announced "How about we split up, eat what we want and meet up later?" My Dad was hesitant at first, but then I gave him a pleading look and he agreed. As he walked towards the ribs, we all sprinted off in the opposite direction. "I can't believe it worked!" I said in-between breaths. Piper and I were panting hard, while Thalia was chewing on a drumstick. We both gave her a strange look as she said "What? There was no way I was leaving there empty handed again!" We laughed as we went off to find Percy and his friends in the huge crowd. _Hmmm _I thought _This is going to be a little harder than I expected..._

After around twenty minutes of searching, I was about ready to give up when I saw him. He wore a blue t-shirt with white shorts and black converse. His hair was messy as usual and his eyes were as bright as ever. He noticed me and waved me over. Percy introduced me to his friends Jason, Nico, Leo, and Grover who had his girlfriend Juniper tag along. His friends seemed really nice and I could already tell that Jason and Piper were hitting it off pretty well. What surprised me the most was when I saw a hint of pink come to Thalia's face as she shook hands with Nico. _Mental note: Make fun of Thalia later. _

"So what do you guys want to do first?" Leo asked. "Petting zoo!" yelled Grover and Juniper "No! Roller coasters!" protested Nico and Thalia "We want to go to the fun house!" exclaimed Jason and Piper. "Ok, calm down guys, how about this, we all split up and then meet afterwards by the stage" Percy suggested. "As long as we're there by seven sharp, I'm cool with that" replied Leo "What happens at seven?" Piper asked "Leo, Nico and I are in a band and that's the slot time they've given us to perform." Jason explained. So we all agreed to meet by the stage at seven as we went our separate ways. Leo was going to join Percy and I, but then Percy gave him this weird look which made him change his mind. So instead, he went off with Jason and Piper. _What was that about? _I thought, but I was brought back to reality by Percy's voice.

"Since you're the tourist, I'll let you pick what we should do." "Ok," I thought for a moment "I want to go on the Ferris wheel." Percy rolled his eyes "Really? Out of all the things we could do, you choose the lamest activity." "Hey!" I protested "You were the one that let me choose! Plus, the Ferris wheel is not lame! It has some pretty amazing architectural work put into it." That's when I started lecturing Percy about the history of the Ferris wheel and the advances it made in the architectural field. He interrupted me mid-sentence when he cried out "Alright Wise Girl enough! I get plenty information shoved into me throughout the school year, so I'd rather not learn during my summer vacation." I laughed at the new name he called me. "Wise Girl?" I asked him questionably "That's your new nickname." he replied with a smirk "Since you're such a smarty pants, I thought it fit well." "Oh Seaweed Brain, didn't anyone ever tell you that when you think of a comeback, it should somewhat insult the other person instead of compliment them?" "Whatever Wise Girl, it was the best I could come up with at the moment" he said clearly annoyed.

The seats for the Ferris wheel were pretty small. Percy and I had to squish into it, which left barely any breathing room between the two of us. As the ride began, we both looked away from each other while blushing hard from our close proximity. Once we reached the top, Percy thought it would be funny to start shaking the seat, which made us start swaying back and forth uncontrollably. "Percy! Stop it before I push you off of the ride!" I yelled. As much as I loved the architecture on Ferris wheels, I still didn't trust them one hundred percent. Who knew how old these things were? "Yeah right Wise Girl!" he laughed teasingly "You wouldn't push me off! You like me too much" he then winked at me and I quickly turned away before he noticed the redness in my cheeks. _Just a friend. Just a friend. Just a friend. _I had to remind myself.

We made it off the Ferris wheel in one piece. Then, without warning, Percy grabbed my hand and dragged me to one of the carnival games. "How about we have a little competition?" he asked with a huge grin on his face. "Alright, what are the rules?" "We play three games: the basketball shoot out, the water guns, and the ring toss. Whoever wins two out of the three, buys cotton candy for the other." "You're on Seaweed Brain!"

I won the basketball shoot out with ease. Probably because I'm the captain and MVP of my school's basketball team, but Percy doesn't need to know that. He won at the water guns though, which meant that the next challenge was do or die. We both scored an equal amount of rings and we both had one left. Percy threw his and missed. I had one chance and there's no way I was going to blow it. I calculated my trajectory as carefully as I could and threw the ring. It landed perfectly which meant that I won! I did a little happy dance as Percy chuckled to himself. "Alright Annabeth, as promised, here's your cotton candy." I reached out for it, but he pulled it away "Just, promise me you will NEVER dance in public like that again" I laughed and agreed to his terms. He handed me the cotton candy with a little stuffed gray owl attached to it. "What's this for?" I asked curiously "I won a prize over at the water guns. I saw you eyeing it so I got it for you as a welcoming gift." he shrugged as if it was no big deal, but all I could do was blush. "We better head to the stage now, the guys will be playing soon."

"What's this?" Thalia asked me "Oh, just a gift from Percy." I replied nonchalantly "He won it over at the water guns." Thalia raised her eyebrows at me "So, he's getting gifts for you now... seems to be getting pretty serious." "It was just a welcoming gift!" I argued "Nothing more!" "MmmHmm" was her only reply. I ignored her and decided to sit next to Piper and Percy for the rest of the concert. Jason, Leo, and Nico's band were called the 'Halfblood Heroes' and to be honest, they were actually better than what I expected them to be. They played for an hour and then gave the stage to the next band in line. "Hey Seaweed Brain, why don't you go up there and show them how it's done?" I asked teasingly. He winced at the idea and said "Sorry Wise Girl, I don't sing..." he then mumbled something after, but when I asked him to repeat, he just said to forget about it. I decided not to push the subject any further after that.

It was time for the fireworks display so almost everyone who attended the festival sat on this hillside that overlooked the ocean. Volunteers were giving out blankets for people to sit on so Percy went to get us one. He laid it out gently onto the grass and motioned for me to sit. Once I was comfortable, he sat down beside me. As I looked around at the other people that surrounded us, I noticed that almost all of them were couples. _Well, this isn't awkward... _I thought _Keep it together Annabeth. He probably doesn't even notice. _

As the fireworks began, Percy laid back onto the blanket. He put his hands behind his head to use as a pillow and told me "The best way to watch fireworks is laying down. That way, your neck doesn't start to ache from looking up so many times." He then stuck one arm out and said "You can use my arm as a pillow if you want to try it my way." I was hesitant at first, but then reluctantly gave in and I placed my head gently on his arm. We laid there in comfortable silence watching the fireworks light up the night sky when he asked "Wise Girl?" "Yes, Seaweed Brain?" He then turned his body to look at me straight in the eye and once again, I was hypnotized. His sea green eyes shined in the night every time a firework exploded above us. "I need to ask you something." "Hmm?" Was the only intelligent comment that I could muster out of my mouth. _Smooth Annabeth... REAL smooth. _He then opened his mouth to speak, but a different voice came out of it.

"And just what do you think you're doing with my daughter?" The voice had a seriously angry tone and it was coming from right above us. Horrified, I quickly stood up and tried to comprehend the situation. _You're plan backfired _replied the stupid voice in my head _Well obviously! If not, my Dad wouldn't be standing here right now ready to murder both Percy and I in the next three seconds! _I opened my mouth to say an excuse, make a sound, say ANYTHING, but all that came out was silence.

"We're leaving Annabeth... NOW!" My father grabbed my arm so tightly, it felt as if he were cutting off my circulation. "And YOU!" he yelled while pointing a finger straight at Percy. "STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!" Percy couldn't even respond to the threat because right after, my Dad began to drag me away full force. I looked back at Percy when my Dad wasn't looking and quickly mouthed "I'm sorry". He gave me a small smile before my Dad yelled at me to keep looking forward. All of this trouble... so that I can be friends with one raven haired, green eyed boy. I can already tell that this was NOT going to end well...

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**Author's Note:**

**Alright, this chapter is finito! As always, please remember to comment or review your thoughts and ideas of the story!**

**I also want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed my other chapters. You guys are so sweet and the next chapter should be coming in the next few days or so. **

**And in case you were wondering, I will be trying to include some Thalico and Jasper in the story as well. They obviously won't be the main focus, but they'll have their moments. ;) **


	8. I Take a Leap of Faith

**Wow guys! I received over 1500 views with the last chapter I posted! That brings the total to over 4,800 views! I am so grateful to every single one of you for sticking with my story. :) I also posted a new poll, if you want to go over and check it out. I was just curious as to what you guys were thinking, so go vote if you wish :P Now onto chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: PJO is not mine! It is owned by Uncle Rick! **

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**Percy POV**

I just watched in utter embarrassment and disappointment as Annabeth's father dragged her away. I didn't even get the chance to explain to him that we weren't doing anything inappropriate! It's not like I could have anyways... the murderous look on his face made me want to dig a hole and never come out. I don't even like Annabeth in that way!

_Stop kidding yourself Percy _said the annoying voice in my head. _You obviously like her enough to almost kiss her, win her a prize, buy her cotton candy, AND lay next to her while watching the fireworks! _

_SHUT UP! _was the only response I could come up with since my subconscious was one hundred percent correct. I glumly walked back to the park to find my friends. Once they noticed me, they all rushed up to paparazzi me with questions.

"Why did the girls have to leave so early?"

"Why was Annabeth's Dad so pissed?"

"When can we see them again?"

"Do you want to give Annabeth her phone back?"

I looked up at Nico who asked the last question. "How in the world did you get Annabeth's phone?"

"We ran into the Stolls while they were playing on this new high tech phone. Thalia recognized it as Annabeth's and she almost beat them up before we could hold her back." Nico explained "They gave it to us saying that they 'found it' at their house after the party, but we convinced them to give it back to us." He then handed me the silver smartphone. It was unlocked, so I couldn't resist the urge to look through it. She didn't have many contacts. The only ones I could find were Thalia, Piper, her Dad, and her Mom.

_Weird _I thought _Why isn't her Mom on the trip with her?_

I then looked at her pictures. Ok, I know it's kind of creepy looking through another person's phone without their permission, but.. ok there's really no excuse, I was just curious. She had a few pictures with Thalia and Piper, some with her Dad, and many pictures of these fancy buildings. I skimmed to the very end of the camera roll and found a picture of Annabeth when she was really young with this pretty older lady. I was shocked by how much she looked like Annabeth and then instantly realized it was her Mom. They had the same smile, golden hair, and stormy grey eyes. Looking at this picture just made me wonder even more where Annabeth's Mom was. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Leo.

"Stalking Annabeth I see!" his voice made me jump and almost drop the phone.

"I was not!" I protested as my cheeks were turning a deep shade of red. "I was just seeing if she put the address of the house she's staying at in her phone!" They all burst out laughing.

"Dude, doesn't she live next door to you?" Jason asked. I tried to hide my embarrassment when I realized that he was right.

I decided to call it a night after that, so I said a polite, yet annoyed, goodbye and walked back to my truck. I looked at the time on the dashboard- 9:54. It's too late to give Annabeth her phone back, plus, I don't think that her Dad will be too happy to see me after everything's that's happened. I trudged into my house while my Mom was in the kitchen making her famous chocolate chip cupcakes.

"Hi honey!" she said cheerfully "How was the festival? Make any new friends?" she then gave me a wink as I walked up and snatched one of the delicious cupcakes. "You know me Mom" I said with a mouthful of cupcake "Always the little charmer!" she exclaimed. I gave her a smile before I went upstairs to my room. Yeah, my Mom can be a little embarrassing at times, but I love her.

I went in my room and got ready for bed. I'm not usually one for pajamas since it gets too hot with the covers, so I just sleep in my boxers. I looked out the window to see the beach one last time before I went to bed, but this time, instead of seeing the ocean, I saw Annabeth. I completely forgot that her room was right across from mine, and apparently she did too because she had a surprised look on her face when she saw me. Her cheeks turned a little pink as she laughed and pointed at me. I didn't understand what she meant until I looked down and noticed that I was only wearing my superhero boxers.

_Why do you always have to embarrass yourself in front of her?! _scolded the voice in my head _Can't you ever just act NORMAL? _

I quickly put on a green t-shirt and some jogging pants as I mouthed 'sorry' to her. She shrugged indicating that it was no big deal and that's when I remembered her phone. I held up the silver phone for her to see and she looked at me with shock. She then held up her fist, which I guess meant that she was accusing me of stealing her phone and that she'll beat me up later. I waved my hands in protest, trying to somehow tell her it wasn't me. She obviously didn't get the message since she just glared at me with her arms crossed and a huge scowl over her face. I had to think of a way to tell her that I wasn't the thief before she stayed mad at me for life, and that's when I saw my white board. I took it off my wall and quickly began writing the story.

'I didn't steal your phone! The two brothers who hosted the party we went to found it at their house. They gave it to Nico, and then Nico gave it to me to give to you'

Her face softened as she read my message. She then rushed to her desk and pulled out a few sheets of paper and a black sharpie. She quickly scribbled something down and then held up the paper for me to see. It read 'Sorry for accusing you :('

'It's ok' I wrote back 'Sorry for getting you in trouble with your Dad'

'It was my own fault. I shouldn't have lied to him about you.'

'Does he hate me or something? :/'

'I think so, but don't worry, he hates every male I associate with.' she then gave a small laugh, which made me laugh along with her. She waited for my response so I wrote down the question that has been bothering me for the past hour.

'Annabeth, if you don't mind me asking, where's your Mom?' Her face paled as she read the message.

She sighed and then gave me a sad smile as she wrote back 'She's in a better place right now.'

I instantly understood what she meant, and I immediately regretted asking the question. I know that whenever someone asked me about my Dad, I'd have to resist the urge to punch them. I didn't know what to write back since 'I'm sorry' and 'My condolences' didn't seem to cut it.

Anyways, I didn't have the chance to think of my response because a few seconds later, Thalia barged into the room. Annabeth hastily stood up and tried to lower the blinds so that Thalia wouldn't spot me. It was too late though because Thalia's face turned into complete shock when she saw me through the window. Annabeth immediately pushed her out the door and locked it behind her before Thalia could react. She then hurried back to the window to write down another message.

'Sorry Percy, I have to go before Thalia breaks down the door'

'I understand, I'll give you your phone tomorrow'

She gave me a sad look as she lifted up her message. 'I'm grounded for the rest of the week, so I can't leave the house'

'Harsh!' I responded back. I then noticed that her room had a small balcony that overlooked the ocean. An idea instantly came into my head.

'On Thursday night, wait for me in your room at 10'

She looked at me questionably 'What are you planning Seaweed Brain?'

'I'm planning a break in of course! And I thought you were the smart one Wise Girl ;)' She gave me a glare, but agreed to meet me.

'Goodnight Wise Girl!'

'See you later Seaweed Brain!' She then closed the blinds and turned the light off, so I followed her lead. _It's only four days _I thought _I can be patient. _

***4 Days Later - Thursday***

"Perce! Would you stop fidgeting so much?! I know you have ADHD and all, but this is going a little overboard." Grover complained, as he unloaded a large ladder from the truck.

"Sorry G-Man, I guess I'm just kind of nervous." It actually felt like someone hit me with a pile of bricks. I don't know why I was so nervous since I've been looking forward to this day ever since the fourth of July. Grover says that I haven't shut up about it all week... but I think he's overreacting.

"Well you can't back out now Perce! Annabeth's waiting for you up there and if we don't hurry up, you're going to be late for your first date!" Grover exclaimed as we ran to the side of her house.

"It's not a date!" I protested "I'm just giving her phone back." Grover gave me the most murderous look I have ever seen. It looked like he wanted to punch, strangle, and stab me all at the same time. "What?" I asked while keeping my distance.

"You made me run all over Riverside, for six hours, in the blazing sun, to find this stupid ladder, just so you can give Annabeth her PHONE back?!" he was red with anger now, so I bribed him with ten free enchiladas. He still slapped me across the head, but he took the offer.

"This girl better be worth all this trouble Percy" Grover said with a sigh.

"Trust me, she is. Now be quiet! I don't want her Dad to see us sneaking into his daughter's room!" I replied as I began to climb up the ladder.

I successfully made it onto her balcony, so I gave Grover the signal to wait in the truck. He signaled back and stealthily ran straight to the truck with the ladder in hand. Unfortunately, Grover didn't look where he was going, so he was able to crash into Annabeth's trash cans which made such a huge racket that I was afraid we'd get caught. So much for stealthy...

"Nice partner in crime you got there" I jumped from Annabeth's voice while giving a very high pitched yelp in the process. She laughed at my embarrassment while signaling me to go inside. Everything in Annabeth's room was completely neat and tidy. There was not one thing out of place, which kind of made me self conscious of my own room. _Note to self: Never bring Annabeth to your room! _I then sat down on her bed and pulled out her cell phone.

"I think this belongs to you." She took it from my hand and then eyed me suspiciously.

"You didn't look through it did you?"

"Psshh! Of course not!" I said defensively "What kind of creep looks at another person's phone without permission? You've gotta give me more credit than that Wise Girl!" It still looked like she didn't believe me, but she let it slide for now. She then sat at the top of her bed, and we stayed there in awkward silence for what seemed like hours.

"So, was there anything else you needed to tell me, or is that it?" she asked while avoiding my gaze.

"Actually, I wanted to apologize for asking about your Mom the other night." I still felt sort of guilty about it, so I thought the right thing to do would be to ask for forgiveness.

"It's ok, I'm used to it." she then added remorsefully "Sorry, about your Dad. Piper told me about what happened."

"Thanks" was my only response.

I desperately tried to change the subject because this was just getting awkward all over again. I thought I would play it safe and ask her about her life back home. It turns out she lives in New York, which is where my parents are from. She told me stories of school and the activities she likes to do there. It just so happens that she's the captain and MVP of her school's basketball team... no wonder she beat me at the basketball shoot out! She then asked me about life on the island. I told her about basically the same things she told me, and that's how we got to know each other. We actually have a lot more in common than I thought we would. We're both athletic, we like the same music, and we share a few personality traits.

I was now sitting beside her on her bed, while listening to music when she said "Hey Seaweed Brain,"

"Yes Wise Girl?"

"I'm glad that I met you. You're a really great friend." she then yawned and started to close her eyes.

I know what most of you might be thinking. _Oooo! Friend zoned!_ Honestly though, it's better to be Annabeth's friend than not to be anything at all. I checked my watch to see the time and it was already past midnight. I instantly felt my eyes getting heavy as I mumbled "Goodnight Annabeth". After that, I fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

***Morning***

I rubbed my eyes as the sunlight beamed through the window demanding me to get up. I groaned as I turned myself over to check the time on my alarm clock, but instead I found a sleeping blonde haired girl next to me. She started to open her eyes and I noticed that they were an incredible shade of grey. _Hey, Annabeth has grey eyes_ I thought. Wait a minute... OH CRAP! This isn't my room! I accidently fell asleep in Annabeth's room last night! Annabeth must have realized at the same time I did because we both sat up with a start. Then, out of nowhere, a blinding flash of white light shined in our faces.

"Oh Annie, I always knew you had a thing for him, but THIS is too much!" Thalia exclaimed while taking another picture.

"It's not what it looks like!" Annabeth argued as we quickly separated from each other. "We just fell asleep by accident! That's all!"

"This is going in a scrapbook or something. It's just too funny!" Thalia continued while ignoring Annabeth's protests.

I immediately texted Grover to come pick me up, but he didn't respond. I looked over the balcony, hoping that he at least left me the ladder, but of course the idiot didn't think I'd need it. Suddenly, Annabeth started pushing me off the balcony using all her strength. _It's like she WANTS to kill me! _I exclaimed in my head.

"You need to leave, NOW!" she cried, while looking over her shoulder. "My Dad is coming any minute, so unless you want to dig your own grave, I suggest you go!"

"But I don't even have a ladder!" I protested.

"THEN JUMP!" she yelled as a look of panic started to overcome her.

I looked down and convinced myself that it wasn't THAT far of a drop, so I jumped. The amount of pain that went through my feet and legs was absolutely indescribable! I tried not to think about it too much as I ran/limped back to my house. I can't believe I just jumped off a balcony for a girl... Next time, I'll just wait for her grounding to be over to see her. There's no way I'm going through this again!

I tried to enter my house as quietly as possible so that my Mom wouldn't notice my late arrival, but as I opened the door, I came face to face with a very angry, middle aged woman. As if this day couldn't get any worse...

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**Author's Note:**

**I know it wasn't as long as the other chapters and for that I apologize. At least I put a little drama in there though :P **

**As always, please comment/review/express your emotions or ideas about the story or chapter! :) **

**I won't be able to update in the next day or two due to my summer activities, so I hoped you liked what I left you with so far! **


	9. A Blast From the Past

**Hey guys, I have some bad news. I won't be able to post any new chapters from this upcoming Tuesday until maybe a week after. I'm going on a trip with the fam so I won't have time to write anything new. :( I'm going to try to write as many chapters as I can before I leave to make up for it though. Right now I'm aiming for 2 more after this one, but my schedule is kind of tight so we'll see. Anyways, chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer: Percy Jackson does not belong to me! Even though I wish he did... *sighs***

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**Annabeth POV**

"Annabeth? What are you doing up so early?" I turned around to face my father who was eyeing me curiously. "You usually don't wake up till ten."

"Oh, well, I just, couldn't sleep" I stammered. If Percy hadn't jumped off the balcony when I told him to, who knows what my Dad would have done! I quickly decided to change the subject. "So my grounding ends tomorrow, do you have any plans for us?"

"Actually I do," my Dad said while a huge grin spread across his face. "but it's a surprise." I groaned loudly. He knew that I hated surprises more than anything! As he left the room he yelled over his shoulder "And wear something nice!" _Something nice? _I wondered _What is so important that I need to dress nice?_

***Next Day - Friday around 6pm***

My Dad refused to give me any hints as to what he was planning. All I knew was that it had to be pretty important because he was cooking dinner. My Dad NEVER cooks dinner! I eventually hit a breaking point, so I went up to my Dad to demand him to tell me what was going on.

"Dad! You better tell me what you prepared for tonight or so help me-"

"Alright Annabeth! I'll tell you!" my Dad exclaimed. I gave him a smug smile as he continued. "Do you remember a boy named Luke Castellan that you used to play with when you were little?"

"Uhh... no" I answered truthfully.

"Well, you two were very close when you were kids, but unfortunately he moved away and you lost contact with him."

"What does this have to do with anything?" I asked, getting a little annoyed.

"It turns out, that when I went to the post office to mail some pictures that I had taken for the museum, I ran into him. He and his family live here now, so I invited him to dinner. I thought it would be a good way for you two to catch up." Although I'm not very keen to meeting new people, I still thought that it was really nice of my Dad to set this up. Plus, who knows? Maybe Luke's a nice guy. I was friends with him when we were little after all. Before I could say another word, the doorbell rang.

"He's here!" my Dad said a little too enthusiastically. "Annabeth, go tell Thalia and Piper that our guest has arrived." I did as I was told and as we walked back downstairs, I got my first glance at Luke. He looked like your classic preppy rich kid. He wore a really nice light grey dress shirt, with a matching blazer, and black tie. He also wore what seemed to be Italian leather dress shoes and an extremely shiny silver Rolex watch. I guessed that he was going into college because he looked older than seventeen. He was pretty tall and well built with short blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. He was really attractive, and I could instantly tell that he probably had a mob of girls chasing after him. I'll admit, I'd probably be one of them, but there was just something about him that I didn't like. My thoughts were cut short by my Dad's introductions.

"- and this is my daughter Annabeth, whom you already know." Luke stuck out his hand to greet me while showing what I believed to be his award winning smile.

"Nice to see you again Annabeth, it's been too long. You look as beautiful as I remember you to be." Ok, not going to lie, Luke's compliment made me blush.

"Well thank you," I replied back "I wish I could say the same for you."

Luke chuckled as he said "Don't worry, you were only four, so I doubt you remember me."

After the casual small talk, it was finally time for dinner. My Dad sat me next to Luke while giving me a quick wink. _Ummm... ok, _I thought _that was weird. _

As I got to know Luke, I was glad that he didn't fit the stereotypical rich boy attitude. He was really smart, liked to donate to charities, he refused to have people serve him at home, and he was a part of his high school swim team. I also found out that he has a large appetite. He had three servings of chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad... almost as much as Thalia! Once everyone was finished my Dad asked Piper and Thalia to help him clean up the table, while I show Luke the backyard. I didn't understand my Dad's logic since the backyard was the beach, and since Luke was a local, he's probably been there hundreds of times. Wanting to be back in my Dad's good books, I decided it was best not to argue.

As we walked along the beach Luke asked me "So you really don't remember me?"

"I have faint images, but overall I don't remember, sorry" I replied apologetically.

"That's too bad. We had some pretty awesome adventures!" he joked. He then checked his watch and said "I should be heading back home now, my parents are waiting for me."

"Oh ok," I said while giving him a smile "it was nice seeing you again, even if I don't recall our time together."

He laughed "It was nice seeing you too Annabeth," he then pulled me in for a hug "and you really do look amazing." I had to look away so that he wouldn't notice the red in my cheeks. "You know, I'm actually having a party at my house next week with a bunch of people from school. It's kind of more for the graduating class, but everyone's invited. Would you like to come? You can bring your friends along if you want."

"Sure it sounds like fun!" Wow, I've been here for barely two weeks and I've already been invited to two parties! I never get this much attention back home.

"Great! I'll text you the information later." As he walked to his car, he quickly turned around and added "Oh, and tell you Dad thanks for dinner!"

"I will!" He then stepped into his black sports car and drove away. Once I entered the house, I was bombarded with questions by, no not Thalia or Piper, but by my Dad.

"So, what did you guys talk about? What did you think of him? Was he a gentleman? When are you going to see him again?"

"DAD! Would you please stop?!" What was his problem? It's not like I'm marrying the guy!

"I'm sorry Annabeth." my Dad said sheepishly "I just wanted to know if you're going to see him again. He seemed like a nice young man."

"Yes, I'm going to see him next week for his party." I replied "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep."

"Of course sweetie!" he exclaimed cheerfully, while kissing my forehead "Have a good night!" He then walked away while whispering under his breath "I knew she'd like him! I knew it!" I might have the slightest suspicion that my Dad just set me up with Luke. You want to know the strange part? This whole night, all I could think about was how much I wished it was Percy who was invited to dinner instead of Luke.

***3 Days Later - Monday afternoon***

The past weekend has been a blast! Thalia, Piper, and I have spent our whole Saturday swimming and tanning at the beach. It was just so fun and relaxing that it made me angry when my Dad dragged us back inside for dinner. On Sunday I went to the museum with my Dad. Thalia and Piper decided to skip it since Thalia was too tired to move, and Piper had a date with Jason. I know right? It turns out they've been calling and texting each other every day since they've met. They seemed like a cute couple so I was really happy for her. Anyways, I was glad that I was able to have some alone time with my Dad. It felt like we've spent this whole trip fighting so it was nice to just have a fun day with him.

I decided to spend my Monday afternoon alone so that I could explore the island. I went to the strip to check out the other stores they had there and that's when I spotted 'Sally's Sweet Shop'. The temptation was too great so I went into the brightly coloured store. Once I stepped in, I could instantly smell the blue chocolate chip cookies that Percy and I had my first night here. I was so caught up in the memory that I hadn't noticed the presence of another person behind me.

"Hi there and welcome to my sweet shop! My name is Sally Jackson. You're not from around here are you?" I jumped a little, but quickly recovered from the surprise the woman had given me.

"Hi, my name is Annabeth Chase and no I'm from New York. I'm visiting here for the summer with my family and friends."

"Oh really? How nice! Well, lucky for you I always give tourists a free sample of anything they desire." She then gave me a warm smile that made me extremely jealous of Percy. Here I am with an overprotective, workaholic father that I barely got to see each week, and here he is with this remarkably sweet and caring Mom that he can see whenever he wishes. If I ever want to see my Dad at work, I'd have to make an appointment. The phone started to ring so she quickly ran over to pick it up.

"Hi Paul!" she answered "Just give me one second - Percy!" she yelled to the back. Just at the sound of his name I felt my heart beating faster. "There's a customer here that needs a free sample!"

"I'll be there in a minute!" Percy yelled back.

Mrs. Jackson quickly turned to me and whispered "Percy's my son. I think he's around your age and he's really handsome. You know, he doesn't have a girlfriend." I blushed from her comment, but it immediately faded away as Percy entered the room. He had flour all over his face and hands and once he saw me, he quickly tried to rub it away with his blue apron, but it only made it spread even more.

"Hey Annabeth!" he said with a huge grin on his face "I see you've been released from prison."

"Yeah, they let me out early because of my good behaviour" I joked. He laughed and I couldn't help but catch my breath. Alright, you want to know the truth? I like Percy. I think I've been torturing myself with this whole 'just friends' idea long enough. The more time I spend with him, the more I like him. Now comes the question that every girl thinks of at some point in time: Does he like me back?

"So what would you like a free sample of today?" he asked while waving his hand across the counter. There were so many sweets to choose from, I just couldn't decide! After a minute of pondering the different possibilities, I thought it would be better if Percy just chose for me.

"How about you choose? I bet you know which one tastes the best, so I trust your judgement." He agreed to my proposal and then handed me a yellow flower shaped cookie.

"What's it taste like?" I asked while examining the treat.

He chuckled "Take a bite and find out." I followed his instructions and it felt like my mouth was bursting with flavour. The cookie was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with a taste that I couldn't quite figure out. It tasted sort of like vanilla, but then like strawberry, and then like banana. It was just indescribably delicious!

"That one is our tropical sunflower!" Sally chimed in while walking towards us "It's very popular among tourists."

"I can see why!" I exclaimed with a mouthful of the heavenly flower.

Percy laughed at me as he said "Woah Wise Girl! Maybe you should swallow then talk. I don't want you choking in the store."

I gave him a glare as I responded "Ha ha! Very funny Seaweed Brain. The only way I'd choke is if I found out you made this cookie instead of your Mom."

"Actually, I made most of the cookies out here on my own." he said with a smug look on his face "Well, following Mom's recipe of course." I couldn't believe it. He's funny, good looking, AND can bake sweets!? How is he still single?

"I'm guessing by the nicknames you call each other that you two have already met?" Sally asked while interrupting my analysis of Percy.

"Oh yes we have, we met when he knocked me unconscious coming out of the airport" I replied. Percy started waving his hands in protest behind his mother. He was probably signaling me to keep my mouth shut, but it was too late.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Sally shrieked as she turned to face her son. "And you didn't do anything to apologize?!"

"I said sorry!" Percy protested.

"Sorry, isn't enough young man!" Sally wacked Percy in the head and turned to face me once again "I'm so sorry for my inconsiderate son. To make it up to you, how about you come over to our house for dinner? We'll be closing shop in about an hour and a half." She looked at me with these pleading eyes that made me so powerless that I just couldn't refuse. "Excellent!" Sally exclaimed "We'll see you then! Oh, and bring a swimsuit. Percy will take you out on the boat as an apology." I said my goodbyes and headed off to my house to get ready. Thank the gods my Dad's at a historical site right now or else there would be no way of escaping.

***Percy's House - Around 6:30pm***

"And this is when Percy was four. He liked to swim in the ocean naked because he thought his trunks were 'tying him down'." Sally chuckled at the memory while showing me Percy's childhood photo album.

"MOM! Could you please stop with the baby pictures already?! I think you've embarrassed me enough!" Percy yelled completely annoyed. I couldn't help but laugh as Sally continued.

"Oh, but you were such a cute kid! And this is when Percy dressed up as Aquaman for-"

"MOM! Please! I'm begging you to stop!" Percy was now pleading for her to end the childhood flashbacks. I had to admit though, he was a really adorable kid.

"I'll make a deal with you" Sally said in a bargaining tone "I'll stop showing Annabeth the album, if you play a song for us." Percy's face turned pale as mine turned into confusion.

"I thought Percy couldn't sing" I said clearly baffled.

"Are you kidding?" Sally asked me "He won his school's talent show three years in a row! He used to sing for me all the time until around two years ago. Why did you stop singing Percy?"

Percy started to stammer as he said "I, just, didn't have the passion for it anymore."

"Well, I won't push you into it if you're shy to sing in front of your new friend." Sally replied "But, could you at least play the guitar for us? I've heard you playing a new song in your room just recently." She then gave Percy the same pleading look she gave me at the sweet shop and he reluctantly gave in. He went upstairs without saying a word and when he returned he had a red and black acoustic guitar. He sat down across from us and began to play an upbeat tune without looking at either of us in the eye. He played really well, and the song had a nice dancing feel to it that was perfect for summertime. Once he was finished, we clapped and he just smiled awkwardly. The whole time though, I just kept wondering, why did he really stop singing?

After a few minutes, Percy took me out on his boat. It was old and small, but it had personality. We didn't go too far away from shore when Percy decided to stop. He threw the anchor down to keep us from floating off and handed me a mask and snorkel.

"Have you ever been snorkeling before?" Percy asked while taking off his shirt. I had to slap myself to keep from drooling.

"Yes I have, but never in water as clear as this" I replied.

He then gave me a large grin as he said "Then you're in for a treat."

We jumped into the clear blue ocean water and I immediately saw schools of fishes everywhere I turned. There were clownfish, flounders, and even angelfish! It was absolutely breathtaking! Percy motioned for me to follow him to this colourful coral reef. Every colour you could possibly imagine was down here! I cursed myself for not bringing my camera so that I could show this magnificent world to Thalia and Piper. Percy grabbed my hand and placed a clam shell on my palm. I opened it only to find a beautiful white pearl. I closed the clam and gave it back to him so he could put it in his pocket because there was no way I was going to lose it. He gave me a signal that probably meant that we should be heading back to the boat. As he started to swim towards the surface, I felt a sudden force hit me square on the head.

A fish the size of a German Sheppard knocked my mask and snorkel away which caused me to open my mouth and let the salty ocean water into my body. I was quickly losing air in my lungs so I frantically swam as fast as I could to the boat. I was still a good ten feet away when I couldn't hold my breath any longer. _So this is how it's going to end?_ I thought. I could see the headlines now. 'Girls Dies from Overgrown Tuna Fish'. I gave up all hope of ever getting out of this alive when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist. Percy gently placed me onto the boat as I coughed up the excess of water out of my body.

"OH MY GOSH ANNABETH!" he yelled while giving me the biggest bear hug of all time "I'm so sorry! I should have never left you there! I thought you were right behind me I swear! How can I make it up to you?!"

"Let. Me. Go!" I exclaimed in-between breaths. He quickly loosened his grip and gave me a sheepish smile.

"Sorry... Again." I managed a laugh and told him it was fine. I then thanked him for saving my life and we headed back to shore.

As we walked towards his house, Percy gave me a playful shove which knocked me off balance. I turned and gave him a death stare, but he simply looked away as if nothing happened. So, being the mature person that I am, I shoved him back harder. He then fell face first into the sand. I started to laugh hysterically as he spit sand out of his mouth.

"So this is how you repay the person that saved your life?" Percy asked while rubbing the sand out of his eyes.

"Hey, you started it!" I exclaimed while crossing my arms.

"And now I'm going to end it" he replied with an evil look on his face. I had no time to react as Percy jumped and pushed me to the ground. He quickly sat on top of me and pinned my arms down. "Not so tough now are you?" he said while tickling my sides. I was laughing uncontrollably while yelling for him to stop. He eventually let me catch my breath and that's when our eyes locked.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. Him on top of me, with my arms pinned down, staring into each other's eyes. I felt my face start to burn up at the same time his did. He started to lean in and I found myself doing the same.

_Oh my gosh! _I thought _It's happening! There's no one here to interrupt us now. No stupid clocks, no crazy friends, and no overprotective Dads. Just me and him. _

We were less than an inch apart. I could feel his breath on my face when a voice suddenly came from behind us. "Annabeth? Is that you?"

I wanted to punch whoever it was that dared to get in the way of this perfect moment. Percy and I separated and I noticed that Percy's expression changed from caring to pure hatred. As I turned around to see who it was, I was absolutely surprised.

"Luke?!" I exclaimed as my face turned completely red "What are you doing here?"

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**Author's Note:**

**Longest chapter yet! :) That took FOREVER to write! *whew***

**So, as always, tell me your thoughts of the chapter/story through reviews! :) I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible since I left it on a cliffhanger :P Until next time!**


	10. The Friend of My Friend is My Enemy

**I noticed that you guys were pretty cheesed with Luke showing up and being a bubble burster, but how can it be a good story without some drama? ;) I decided to update as soon as possible to not keep you guys waiting too long. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: PJO was and never shall belong to moi! **

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**Percy POV**

If I can give you one word to describe Luke Castellan, it would be asshole. They guy can have anything that he desires, yet he always manages to take what's important to me. He bribed the swim team to name him captain instead of me, he bought the shiny blue Gibson electric guitar I wanted from the music store in front of me, AND I caught him cheating with my first and only girlfriend! You know what the worst part of all of this was? Other than Grover, he was my best friend. You see, the key word there is WAS. After I caught him cheating, it was the last straw. I avoided him for the past two years and I was lucky enough to only have to fight him once or twice. Yet here he was! Interrupting a perfect chance for me to kiss Annabeth. Man, I was having the best time before he showed up to ruin everything. His face brought back so many unpleasant memories, that I could feel them all pushing forward to get my attention. One specific memory came flooding through my mind.

_"Happy Birthday Dear Percy! Happy Birthday to you!" I quickly blew out the candles as everyone cheered. My Mom started to cut the cake to distribute to the party guests. I took an extra one to give to Calypso; my beautiful, talented, and caring girlfriend. I walked around the room aimlessly looking for her, but I couldn't find her anywhere._

_"Hey Grover, have you seen Calypso?" I asked him as he was stuffing his face with the blue cake. _

_"Last time I saw her, she was going upstairs with Luke before your Mom brought out the cake" he answered._

_"Ok, thanks G-Man!" I started to walk upstairs when I noticed my bedroom door was slightly opened. What were they doing in my room? Probably pulling a birthday prank on me by painting my room pink or something like that. _

_I opened the door and walked in saying "Hey guys, we started cutting the cake, so if you wa-" My mouth dropped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Luke, my so called best friend for the past five years, was on top of Calypso, my girlfriend for the past year and a half, kissing her furiously on my bed. They hadn't even noticed me enter the room, which made me even more infuriated. I grabbed Luke by the shoulders and threw him onto the floor. _

_"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" I yelled while punching him in the face._

_"PERCY! STOP!" Calypso yelled back while attempting to pull me off Luke. _

_I stopped punching Luke and turned to face her. "How could you do this to me!? You cheated on me with my BEST FRIEND on my BIRTHDAY!" Tears started to fall from her eyes as she pleaded for my forgiveness._

_"I'm not apologizing to you Jackson" Luke said bitterly while slowly getting up "If I had the chance to do it again, I would. Calypso's too good for you and she never should have dated a loser like you in the first place." The words stung like a thousand bees. I kneed him in the stomach which made him topple over in pain. _

_"We are done. We will never, EVER be friends again! Now get the HELL out of my house before I put you in the hospital!" I yelled while pushing Luke out of my bedroom. I then turned to face a very teary eyed Calypso "And you too! GET OUT!" _

_She slowly walked past me, but before she left, she turned around showing me her big incredible chocolate brown eyes "I'm sorry for hurting you Percy" she said it so sadly that I almost believed her "After today, you will never have to see me again" she walked out without looking back. Little did I know that she meant what she said. She left the island before the school year started. The rumor was that she went to live in California, if only Luke had gone with her. _

I was brought back to reality by the bastard's voice "I was going to text you the information for the party, but I realized I forgot to get your number" he explained to Annabeth whose face was quite red when he caught us in each other's arms. "So, I decided to come over and tell you in person... but I can see you're busy." Luke then gave me a glare, so I returned the gesture.

"Oh, no I'm not busy. I'll write the information on my phone right now" Annabeth replied while taking out her silver smartphone. I wondered if she knew how horrible of a person Luke really was. I guess she didn't since she was acting very friendly towards him. I couldn't stand by and just let Luke manipulate her, so I was determined to find a way into that party.

"So Luke, you're having a party?" I asked while putting my best fake smile on.

Luke eyed me suspiciously "Yeah... it's mostly for the graduating class though."

"You should come with me Percy" Annabeth suggested which made Luke cringe at the thought.

"Sure! I'd love to come!" I exclaimed cheerfully "When is it?"

"It's this Friday at eight" Luke replied bitterly. He then turned to Annabeth and gave her a sweet smile that made me want to barf "I'll see you later beautiful." Annabeth's cheeks turned pink from the compliment while mine turned red from anger. Why did he always have to meddle with my life!?

As soon as he left, Annabeth said that it was time for her to leave as well. In a spur of the moment I kissed her on the cheek. Sure it wasn't the kiss I had intended to give her, but I'm willing to wait for the right moment. She quickly turned and walked away, but I swear, even if it was just for a split second, I thought I saw her blush.

***Friday Night - Around 8:05 pm***

I was waiting for Annabeth and her friends down the block in my truck. Annabeth didn't want her Dad knowing that it was me driving them so we decided it was best for me to park farther down the road. I invited Nico and Jason to tag along as well, just in case Luke and I got into a little argument. They said they'd meet us there at around 7:50 so we were already late. Why do girls take so long getting dressed? It's not like they're going to walk the red carpet.

The passenger door suddenly opened and Annabeth stepped into the car. I'm not going to lie to you, my jaw dropped. She looked absolutely stunning! She had her hair down which made her curls bounce every time she moved. She wore a purple summer dress that flowed in the wind with silver flats. She also had make-up on, but not too much. The make-up only defined her beautiful grey eyes even more, which I didn't complain about.

"Hello! Earth to Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth was waving her hand in my face which made me realize that I had completely zoned out. She laughed at my dazed look and asked "You ready to go?"

"I've been ready for the past twenty minutes. You guys just took forever to get ready!" I complained.

Thalia punched me in the arm "Hey! It takes time to look this amazing!"

"Besides, we're not THAT late" Piper protested.

"Actually, we were supposed to meet the guys fifteen minutes ago" I replied annoyed.

"Well then pedal to the metal kelp head!" Thalia yelled.

***Luke's House***

Because I'm such an incredible driver, we arrived in less than five minutes. We were able to quickly locate Jason and Nico at the snack bar, and once they saw the girls, their eyes widened with surprise.

"Wow!" Nico exclaimed "You guys look-"

"Amazing!" Jason finished.

"I was going to say hot, but sure that works too" Nico said while giving a slight shrug.

"Well thanks Death Breath, you don't look too bad yourself." I'm not sure if I heard right, but I think Thalia just complimented Nico.

As Nico's olive skin turned pink from Thalia's comment, the DJ began playing a slow song. Couples started going into the middle of the room to dance, which gave me the idea to ask Annabeth to dance with me, but I couldn't seem to get the words out of my mouth. Thankfully, Piper broke the ice.

"I really love this song" she said while looking at Jason.

Jason looked extremely nervous, but he eventually got out "Would you like to dance then?"

"Of course!" she replied with a huge smile on her face. They quickly went off hand in hand to the center of the room.

After a minute of awkward silence, Thalia glared at Nico and said "Well?"

"Well what?" Nico asked clearly confused.

Thalia frowned "Aren't you going to ask me to dance? I didn't come here to just stand around all night"

"Oh, sure, uh" Nico started stammering "Would you like to dance?" Thalia rolled her eyes as she grabbed Nico's hand and dragged him onto the dance floor. And then there were two.

I felt my heart race as I looked at Annabeth. From the expression she had on her face, she was probably waiting for me to ask her to dance as well. My palms started to sweat as I tried to form the words.

"So Annabeth," I began.

_Ok, good start _I thought.

"Would you, umm, maybe like to, you know, umm-"

"Yes I would Seaweed Brain" she replied before I could even finish the sentence. She then grabbed my hand and led me towards the dancing couples. She put her hands around my neck as I put mine on her waist. We swayed back and forth to the melody, and as I looked into her eyes, it felt like we were the only two people in the room. I could have stayed like that forever, just holding her close to me, but of course something, or more specifically, someone had to disturb this perfect moment.

"May I cut in?" I turned around to face the king of assholes himself. He had this stupid smirk on his face that I just wanted to punch away, but I knew I couldn't fight him with Annabeth watching. I was about to say no when he just came in-between us. "Thanks" he said while giving me a smug look.

"It's ok Percy" Annabeth said while giving me a small smile "I'll dance the next one with you." I nodded and glumly walked towards the drinks table. I watched in disgust as Luke twirled Annabeth around and pulled her close to him so that their faces where only centimeters apart. Once the song was over I immediately jumped from my seat and took Annabeth away from Luke.

"I believe you owe me a dance" I said with a huge grin on my face. She smiled back and we danced for two songs until Luke took her away again. This cycle continued for the next hour until Annabeth decided to break it.

"I'm really tired you guys, I'm going to go get a drink." She excused herself and once she was out of earshot I gave Luke my best death stare.

"What do you want with Annabeth?" I asked, almost yelling in his face.

"To keep her away from you" he replied with disgust. "She's an amazing girl and she shouldn't be hanging around with beach bums like you."

"The only people she should be staying away from are snobby, rich, backstabbing assholes like you" I mentally patted myself on the back for thinking of such a great comeback.

A smirk started to spread across his face "Oh really? If I'm such snob, then why did her Dad ask me if I wanted to date his daughter?" I felt my face start to burn from anger. He had to be lying. There was no way Annabeth's Dad would set her up like that.

"I don't believe you" I said through my gritted teeth. I was about ten seconds away from punching him in the face.

He shrugged "You don't have to take my word for it, but when Annabeth and I start dating, I'll be the one that says 'I told you so'" I clenched my fist ready to beat the crap out of this bastard when a crash came from upstairs. He groaned and gave me a look that said 'We'll finish this later'. I went to go look for Annabeth when I saw her outside talking to Thalia and Piper on the deck. I was about to walk out to meet them when I heard my name being mentioned in their conversation. I quickly stood behind the wall as I tried to overhear what they were saying.

"Come on Annabeth! Just admit that you like him!" Piper exclaimed clearly frustrated. Wait, Annabeth likes someone? Oh Gods please don't let it be Luke!

"I don't like him! He's just a friend! And anyways, if I did I doubt he'd even like me back" Annabeth replied. Who wouldn't like Annabeth? Whoever that guy was, he must be either really oblivious, or really stupid.

"Then what about Luke?" Thalia asked. I cringed at the sound of his name. "He's good looking, smart, and he's LOADED!"

"I definitely do NOT like Luke" Annabeth answered. I breathed out a sigh of relief. "There's just something about him that doesn't seem right."

_Yeah! _I thought _The fact that he's a lying, cheating, backstabber! _

Thalia and Piper both let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, if you really don't like either Percy or Luke, then we'll drop the subject" Piper said annoyed. My heart sunk. So, Annabeth doesn't like me. I guess I really am stuck in the friend zone.

"Thank you!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get a drink." She started to walk in my direction so I quickly hid behind a large plant. As I crouched behind the oversized shrub, I started to think about all the moments Annabeth and I have shared over the past few weeks. I was so sure that there might be the slightest possibility that she had some feelings for me, but I guess I was wrong. I decided it was best to just leave the party and move on when I heard Annabeth yelling at these three guys over by the drinks table.

"Leave me alone! Go find someone else to bug!" she was desperately trying to release herself from one of the guy's grasps as the others were taunting her.

"Oh come on blondie! We just want to have some fun!" the ugly brown haired one replied "What do you say about coming back to my place for some overnight entertainment?" He then started to lean in to kiss her, but she quickly kicked him in the nuts. He bent over in pain while the second guy with crooked teeth came over to defend him.

"Why you little -" he lifted his hand to slap her in the face, but I caught it before he could harm her.

"Ok guys you've had your fun, now why don't you leave the poor girl alone?" I said while pushing the third guy with piercings all over his face off of Annabeth.

The guy with the crooked teeth growled at me as he said "This doesn't concern you pretty boy."

"Actually, when you mess with my friends, it kind of does" I replied while clenching my fists.

Bad Teeth then came at me flinging his arms like a madman. I expertly dodged each punch he swung and kicked him in the stomach. He toppled over and fell alongside his ugly comrade. The guy with the piercings was harder to take down. He was able to hit me in the eye which dazed me for a second. I recovered as quickly as I could and gave him three good hits to the face. He soon fell over just like his friends.

"Oh Perce there you are!" Nico exclaimed as he entered the room. He then noticed the three guys on the floor groaning in pain. He looked at me while holding in his laughter. "So, what'd I miss?"

I turned around and noticed the shock on Annabeth's face. "Wow" was the only comment that came from her mouth. I smiled sheepishly and quickly headed towards the front door. I wanted to leave this place as fast as I could so I ran to my truck. To my surprise, Thalia, Piper, and Jason were standing in front of it. I stared at them completely confused which gave enough time for Nico and Annabeth to catch up to me.

"So Perce," Nico began while attempting to catch his breath from the run "we all wanted to go to the strip to grab something to eat since the food here stinks. So we were wondering if we could use your truck since Jason's car is too small. You can come if you want."

"Nawh that's alright," I replied "knock yourselves out." I tossed them the keys and waved goodbye as I walked towards my house. I didn't care if it was a far walk, I needed some time to clear my head. About a minute into the walk I heard someone running and yelling my name behind me.

"PERCY! WAIT UP!" I turned around to see a very exasperated Annabeth.

"What are you doing here?" I asked "I thought you were going to the strip with the others."

"I wasn't hungry." she stated "Plus, I wanted to walk with you." I felt my face turn red, but I quickly shrugged it off. _She doesn't like you remember? _Although I wanted to be alone, I just couldn't turn her away.

We walked as if nothing happened. We laughed at each other's childhood stories, we played a quick game of 'I Spy', and we talked about what we wanted to do in the future. I told her I wanted to be a marine biologist which made her burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked clearly annoyed.

"Of course you would want to be a marine biologist," she said while smiling at me "since your head is filled with seaweed and all."

"Ha ha" I replied unamused "So what do you plan on becoming Wise Girl?"

"That's easy, an architect" she said without any hesitation.

"I guess that would explain all the pictures of buildings you have on your phone" I joked.

She chuckled as she said "I knew you looked through it." The realization dawned on me and I immediately tried to cover it up, but it was no use. "Don't worry Seaweed Brain, it's not like I'm going to kill you for looking through my phone. If the roles were reversed, I'd probably do the same thing." I breathed a sigh of relief as we reached Annabeth's house.

"Listen Percy," she began "I just wanted to thank you for what you did at the party."

"Oh it was nothing." I shrugged "I just couldn't stand to see those gorillas hurt you."

She smiled, but it quickly faded as she got a good look at my eye. She raised her hand and touched it softly "I'm sorry about your eye. I hope it doesn't get too bad."

"Don't worry," I said while grabbing her hand "it will get better in no time." We then just stood there, entwining our fingers together. She then stared at me with those beautiful grey eyes and it took all of my strength to not kiss her right then and there. She then looked away and I saw a little disappointment in her face as she turned to her house.

_That's it! I can't stand this anymore! I don't care if she doesn't like me! If I do this and she rejects me, then at least I'll have no regrets._

I quickly ran after her and grabbed her hand again. Startled, she turned to face me. "Annabeth, I know this is a long shot and I know that we haven't known each other for a long time, but I was just wondering" _Here we go, no turning back _"would you like to go on a date with me this Sunday?"

She had a complete poker face on which worried me in ways that you will never know. Fortunately, her expression changed and she now had a really large grin on her face. "I thought you would never ask. Pick me up at five, my Dad won't be home then." She then kissed me on the cheek and entered her house.

What did I do after you ask? Well, I would like to say that I didn't stand on her porch like an idiot with a goofy grin on his face yelling "YES!", but sadly, that's what happened.

I couldn't believe it. I, Percy Jackson, had a date with the smart and beautiful Annabeth Chase!

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**Author's Note:**

**Ok guys I apologize in advance for saying this, but I don't think I'll be able to upload another chapter until next week. I know, I'm awful, but as I said before, I'm going on a vacation with my family for a week starting tomorrow. So I hope this chapter will keep you satisfied for a while.**

**Please comment and review as much as you desire! Until next time Jacksonheads! Talk to you all in a week! :) **


	11. The Date Crashers

**Hello my beautiful readers! I have returned and I am totally pumped to continue the story! :) I had some freaky things happen to me while I was on my trip, but I'll tell you about that later. Now, without further ado, the long awaited chapter 11!**

**Disclaimer: I sadly do NOT own the wonderful Percy Jackson :( Rick does**

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**Annabeth POV**

I closed the front door and leaned my back against it. I let out a huge breath that I had lodged inside of me ever since I entered Percy's truck. He looked so incredible that it was so difficult for me to even muster out a few words while in his presence. I never act like this. I'm usually a calm, logical, and composed person, but when I'm around Percy, I just get all giddy inside. I felt like my emotions were completely controlling me and it was frightening. I had promised my mother that I would follow my heart, but I had never realized how difficult that could be until now. I decided to push those thoughts aside for the moment and just enjoy the fact that I had a date with Percy this Sunday.

I started humming to myself as I walked upstairs to my room. "Hello Annabeth, how was your evening?" my Dad asked standing at the top of the staircase.

I gave him a hug "Oh, it was wonderful!" I said a little too enthusiastically.

My Dad raised his eyebrow at me curiously "I guess you had a lot of fun with Luke then."

"Huh?" I asked while letting him go. It took a second, but I quickly realized what he meant. "Oh yeah, Luke! I had loads of fun with him. Since it was his party. At his house. Which I was at. With him. Luke." My Dad looked at me like I had gone insane, which I probably had. I gave him a quick smile and kiss on the cheek as I fast walked straight to my room. _Whew! _I thought _That was close!_

I checked the time on my alarm clock; 11:03. I quickly put on my pj's and got ready for bed. I was about to close my blinds when I saw Percy in his room dancing to God knows what. He noticed me laughing at him which distracted him enough to fall flat on his face. He hastily stood up and I could see his cheeks changing into a bright red colour. I grinned at him and grabbed the sharpie and notepad that I had nearby. We knew it would be easier to text each other, but we both thought that this form of communication was way more fun.

'Nice moves there Seaweed Brain ;)'

Percy got his white board and quickly wrote down 'I've got better moves than you Wise Girl'. He then gave me his annoying lopsided smirk that I have grown to love.

I shook my head as I held up my response 'Not with those two left feet you don't! :P'

He gave me a glare 'Maybe, if someone hadn't been STARING at me through the window, I wouldn't have fallen'

I blushed and immediately decided to change the subject 'So, where are you taking me this Sunday?'

He grinned at me mischievously as he replied 'It's a surprise, all that I can say is that you should wear something nice, not too formal though'

'You're not taking me dancing are you? :/'

He let out a laugh as he wrote down 'No dancing, I promise. I got to go to sleep now. Goodnight Wise Girl'

'Night Seaweed Brain' I gave him one last smile as I closed the blinds and headed off to bed.

***Sunday Afternoon - 5:04pm***

I was waiting patiently on my porch for Percy to come pick me up. My Dad had left to a historical site at around three and said he wouldn't be back until midnight, and Thalia and Piper had gone out with Nico and Jason not too long ago. To tell you the truth, I didn't want anyone knowing about tonight, not even my best friends. First of all, I knew that they would tease me until the ends of the earth and second of all, I didn't want to start saying anything about Percy and I until maybe after a few dates. What if we realized that we were better off as friends? That's why I didn't want to get my hopes up. Fortunately, their leaving gave me enough time to get ready for Percy's mystery date. I didn't know how nicely to dress so I put on this simple light blue summer dress that I loved with my silver owl earrings. I also let my hair down and used a pin that Piper had given me to get the loose curls out of my face.

I started to daydream when I was immediately pulled back to reality by Percy's voice. "Wow!" his eyes widened as he looked at me "You look amazing!"

I blushed a deep red "Thanks Seaweed Brain, you don't look too bad yourself." He wore black dress pants and a simple green dress shirt that brought out his eyes. I forced myself to look away from them as he opened the passenger door to his truck. I was impressed by his politeness and said "Why thank you kind sir" in a bad British accent.

He chuckled as he responded "Anything for you miss" in an accent that was equally as bad as mine.

We drove for around five minutes in awkward silence. Usually either one of us would start up a conversation by now, but for the first time in my life, my mind was completely blank. I couldn't think of anything which was making me extremely nervous. Why am I so nervous?! He's just one guy! I glanced over at him and was relieved to see that I wasn't the only one feeling this way. I could tell he was anxious by his overly tensed body and how his eyes were completely glued to the road. Luckily, I was finally able to think of something to say after calming my nerves down.

"Can I turn on the radio?" Sure, it wasn't a very thorough topic, but at least I broke the silence.

His muscles relaxed as he smiled and said "Sure, put whatever station you want." I put on 98.1, which was my favourite station, and immediately began to relax to the music.

_'- take away the pain_

_Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile_

_Get me with those green eyes, baby as the lights go down_

_Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around_

_Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile' _

Before I could stop myself, I began to sing along to the music. I just couldn't help it, I loved this song... and not just because it reminded me of Percy. I felt the car come to a stop and I noticed Percy staring at me from the corner of my eye. I started to feel self-conscious so I asked "What? Is there something on my face?" I immediately began touching my face trying to figure out the problem.

"No," he chuckled "your face is perfect, it's just, I had no idea that you could sing like that. You have a really good voice."

I looked away trying to hide the blush that was coming to my cheeks. Damn, I'm blushing a lot today. "I'm really not very good," I replied sheepishly "I don't know what came over me, I don't usually sing in front of other people, ever. Although," I turned to face him "I am curious as to when I will get to hear you sing."

His face began to pale as he stammered "I, well... erm... Oh, would you look at that, we're here!" He quickly stepped out of the car as I looked out the passenger window. I hadn't even noticed that when Percy stopped the car, it was to park beside this small, yet sophisticated looking building. I could tell that it was a seafood restaurant by the large trout at the front entrance. Other than that tacky detail, everything about the restaurant looked classy. Once we stepped inside, it instantly felt like we were underwater. The restaurant was lit with a light blue tint, the walls were coloured a deep sea green (just like Percy's eyes), and there was a huge aquarium in the middle filled with millions of different coloured fishes. I started to feel guilty since this place seemed really fancy, and fancy always means expensive.

"Hello and welcome to _Riviera,_ do you have a reservation?" the hostess asked us, well, I should say asked Percy. She didn't even acknowledge that I was there.

"Yes we do. It's under Jackson" Percy replied. She looked through her book and gave him what I guessed was her sweetest smile. It made me want to barf since her bright red lipstick, purple eye-shadow, and rosy pink blush made her look like a clown did her make-up. She motioned for us to follow her while leading us to a seat near the aquarium. In my opinion, she was swaying her hips a little too much for a regular human being. We sat down across from each other as she handed us the menus.

"Your waiter will be with you soon. If you need anything I'll be at the front, my name is Drew by the way" she then gave Percy a wink as she handed him his menu. She then gave me a dirty look and shoved the menu in my face as she walked away in her three inch heels.

I felt the anger start to rise inside of me. What gives her the right to treat me like that? And the way she was eyeing Percy just made me want to punch her right in her pointy nose. I opened the menu and clenched it in my hands as I tried to calm myself down. I quietly began mumbling "Stupid bitch with her stupid face, and her stupid-"

I was cut off by Percy's laughter "Wow Wise Girl, I never thought you would be the jealous type" he winked and gave me his famous lopsided smirk.

"I am not jealous!" I protested "She was just being extremely rude and impolite towards me"

"Sure," Percy said sarcastically "that's why you were glaring at her the whole time." I stuck my tongue out at him just before the waiter came to our table.

"Good evening my name is Ethan and I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

"Sure, I'll have a cherry coke" Percy replied.

I quickly looked through their drinks menu and said "I'll have a Sprite"

Ethan quickly wrote down our orders "Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks" he then gave me a quick wink and a smile before he headed off towards the back of the restaurant. I looked at Percy who was now scowling in his direction.

"What gives him the right to look at you like that?" Percy asked angrily "Doesn't he see that you're here with me?"

I laughed at his sudden change of emotion and replied "Look who's jealous now!" His expression changed and he was soon laughing along with me.

I began looking through the menu and I noticed that every plate here was extremely pricey. Percy noticed the worried look I had on my face and said "Don't worry about the price Annabeth. Order whatever you want, the bill is on me." I still felt guilty about him paying for everything, but I could tell from the expression he had on his face that the matter of who was paying was not up for discussion. By the time Ethan came back with our drinks, I had finally decided on what to order.

After taking down Percy's order of shrimp linguine, I asked Ethan for the baked dijon salmon "Anything for the beautiful blonde" he replied while giving me another wink. Percy quickly stood up and I immediately thought he was going to punch him. Percy was already a head taller than this guy with a lot more muscle which gave him a large advantage. Fortunately, he only wanted to know where the washroom was. Before he left he planted a quick kiss on my cheek and gave Ethan a death stare, which was obviously a signal saying 'Back off dude!'

As I waited for Percy to get back from the washroom, two voices that I knew so well yelled my name from behind me "Annabeth!?" I slowly turned around to find Thalia and Piper walking towards me with Nico and Jason not too far behind.

"What are you doing here?" Piper asked clearly confused as to why I came to such a nice place alone.

I noticed Percy coming back to the table so there was no use of telling them anything other than the truth. "I'm here with Percy" I replied as nonchalantly as I could.

They exchanged a glance and they both began giving me a large and annoying smirk. "Oh really?" Thalia asked. She then came close to me so that Nico and Jason couldn't hear "This wouldn't happen to be a DATE would it?"

I glared at her and opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off by Percy "What are you guys doing here?" He was trying to put a friendly tone to his voice, but it came out annoyed.

"Jason got us reservations last minute," Nico explained "we didn't know you guys would be here."

"Well since we're all here, why don't we sit together?" Jason suggested. Thalia and Piper quickly agreed. They obviously wanted to see me on my first date and embarrass me as much as possible. _Why am I friends with them again? _I questioned myself. I could tell that Percy didn't want to sit with them as much as I didn't want to from the way he was glaring at his friends, but he eventually agreed. We pulled a few tables together and I decided to sit in-between Percy and Nico. There was no way I would sit beside Thalia and Piper all night. They would just give me annoying looks and nudge me the whole time.

Once everyone received their food and finished eating, it instantly became an 'Embarrass Percy and Annabeth Night'. Everyone began telling our most humiliating stories from Percy's 'accident' in the seventh grade, to me tripping during a basketball game and knocking down the cheerleader's pyramid in front of the whole school.

I put my face in my hands as Thalia was recalling another one of my greatest moments in life when I felt my phone buzzing in my purse. I took it out and read that it was from Percy. I gave him a questioning look as I read the message.

'Could you fake a stomach ache or something? I can't stand being here anymore! Please, I'm begging you'

He looked at me with pleading eyes, so I quickly texted back 'Well... since you begged' I started to groan and I wrapped my arms around my stomach to make it look more realistic. Everyone stopped laughing and turned to me with worried expressions on their faces.

"I think I need to leave, I've got a bad stomach ache. It's probably from the food."

Percy helped me stand up and said with his best actor's voice "I'll take her back to my place, my Mom's got some medicine that will help. You guys should stay and have dessert." They all began to protest until Percy pulled out a wad of cash "Dessert's on me. Come on Annabeth, let's go." Percy put his arm around me protectively and guided me out of the restaurant. Once we sat down in his truck, we both let out a sigh of relief.

"Well," Percy commented "that was hell." We both laughed at how horrible the evening had ended, but once we calmed down Percy looked at me with sad eyes "I'm sorry that our date got ruined... I understand if you don't want to go out with me again." He looked down and I saw the disappointment he had on his face.

"Why wouldn't I go out with you again?" I asked while looking at him like he was crazy. His head jolted back up and he stared at me with those mesmerizing green eyes "I was having a great time until the date crashers showed up."

"Really?" he asked still not believing me.

"Really" I replied back while planting a kiss on his cheek.

He grinned at me as he asked "Then would you mind going somewhere with me?"

"I don't mind at all, as long as you tell me where we're going." He smiled his mischievous smile and shook his head. I groaned in protest, but he didn't care. And to make matters worse, he took out a bandanna he had in the back seat and blindfolded me. I stopped his hand before he could though.

"I'll only agree to this, if you do something for me in return." I said in my best business like tone.

He looked at me questionably "Alright Wise Girl, what do you want?"

"I want you to sing for me." His face paled and I could already see the sweat coming from his forehead so I quickly added "It doesn't have to be right now. It can be tomorrow, next week, or even next month. I just want to hear you sing."

He thought about it for a while, at first I thought he wouldn't agree, but he soon said "Ok Annabeth, you've got a deal, but I won't tell you when I'm going to sing for you. It will be a surprise."

I scowled at him and crossed my arms "You really like surprising people don't you?"

He shrugged "It makes life more entertaining. Now put you're blindfold on, I don't want you to see what I have planned." I reluctantly put the blue bandanna around my eyes as we drove in comfortable silence.

After about fifteen minutes, the truck came to a stop. "Can I take the blindfold off now?" I asked clearly annoyed.

"Not yet," Percy replied "I'll tell you when, just take my hand and follow me." I held his hand in mine, and I know this sounds corny, but I couldn't help but notice how our hands fit together perfectly. It was as if our hands were lost puzzle pieces that finally found each other.

_Ok, you need to stop watching those girly chick flicks _I scolded myself. _They're having a weird influence on you._

I suddenly heard Percy unlocking something which caused a squeaky gate to open. I hesitantly followed him, gripping his hand tighter just to feel more secure. He then let go of my hand and I instantly started to panic.

"Percy?" I asked my voice just above a whisper "Where did you go?" I was surprised to see flashes of light overcome the darkness through my blindfold. Not long after the lights came on, I felt Percy's hand in mine again.

"You can take the blindfold off now" he said. I could hear the smirk that was spreading across his face as I took off the blue bandanna. As I took a look at my surroundings, I couldn't help but squeal in excitement. For those of you who don't know me that well, I never squeal.

What I was looking at was a very large and very beautiful mini-golf course. It was decorated with mythological artifacts and statues. It felt as if you were walking around ancient Greece! I have never been mini-golfing before, especially in a place like this, so you could imagine how incredibly ecstatic I was.

"This place is absolutely fantastic!" I exclaimed while giving Percy a huge hug.

He chuckled "I guess this means you like it?" he asked while giving me a large grin.

I grinned back "Are you kidding? I love it!" I immediately ran over to the golf clubs "I'm so going to kick your butt Seaweed Brain" I said challengingly.

He raised his eyebrow at me "Keep thinking that Wise Girl."

There were eighteen holes in total and each one had its own theme. It either referred to a god/goddess, a mythological creature, or a Greek hero. For my first time playing, I wasn't that bad. I was able to beat Percy in the Athena, Artemis, Zeus, Ares, satyr, sphinx, and Odysseus holes, but he was still in the lead. He was only winning because he got a hole in one in the Poseidon hole. I swear, any obstacle that even refers to or has an association with water, he's able to accomplish it.

The last hole was dedicated to Medusa. You had to hit the ball through her moving snake hair without getting it knocked away. I was a second too late so my ball came rolling back to me. Percy had the nerve to laugh.

I gave him a scowl and said "It's a lot harder than it looks!"

"Let a pro show you how it's done" he replied while placing his golf ball in position. He took his stance and looked at the monstrous head. I couldn't help but smile as he scrunched his eyebrows in concentration. He looked really attractive when he was focusing on something. His eyes would glow brighter with determination. After a few seconds, he swung his club and the ball went straight into the hole making him the winner.

He laughed at my surprised expression "How did you do that?!" I exclaimed.

"Years of practice" he replied with a smirk. "Come here, I'll show you how to do it." I placed my golf ball in the same spot he put his and took my position. He examined my stance and shook his head.

"You have to lean into it a bit more" he said while moving my shoulders down. "You also have to keep your feet parallel, and your hands have to go a little lower down on the club." He wrapped his arms around me and moved my hands to the correct position without letting go. I could feel his hot breath brushing my cheek as he spoke. My heart started beating faster and I seriously hoped that he couldn't hear it.

"Now this hole is all about timing," he continued "if you hit the ball once the second snake passes the hole, then it will go in every time. Ready?" I nodded slightly attempting to hide the pink that was forming in my cheeks "Ok, one, two, three, now!" We both swung the club and the ball went perfectly through the hole.

I noticed that Percy was still holding me well after we hit the ball, so I awkwardly said "Umm, you can let go of me now Seaweed Brain." His body tensed and he quickly let me go. I silently cursed myself for saying that because now, all of Percy's body heat was gone and the cold ocean breeze was making me shiver.

"Maybe we should go home now," Percy said while checking his watch "it's getting late and you're trembling." I nodded in agreement as my teeth began to chatter. Once Percy closed the mini-golf course, he went to the back of the truck and got me a green hoodie.

"Here," he said while wrapping it around me "this will keep you warm until we get back to your house." I noticed that the hoodie smelled exactly like Percy. It had the same salty ocean scent that I just couldn't get enough of.

We finally made it back home and Percy, being the gentleman that he is, walked me to my doorstep. I smiled at him as I said "I had an amazing time tonight. It was a lot of fun."

Percy grinned at me as he said "I had fun too" we then stared at each other for a while until he quickly added "Would you like to go out with me again? Like maybe this Friday?"

"I'd love to" I replied without any hesitation. I suddenly heard giggling coming from behind the door and I instantly knew that Thalia and Piper were eavesdropping on our conversation. I decided to wrap up this goodbye before they heard too much.

"Goodnight Seaweed Brain, I'll see you soon" I said while giving him a large bear hug.

"Goodnight Wise Girl" he responded back while giving me a kiss on the cheek. He started to walk away, but quickly turned around and said "I'll have a message for you in the morning, so leave you're blinds open!"

I waved at him as I replied "I will!" He gave me one last cheeky smile before heading off towards his house.

I opened my door to find a snickering Thalia and Piper on the couch. "So," Piper began in a teasing tone "how was your night?" I rolled my eyes as I walked passed them.

"Did Kelp Head give you a kiss goodnight?" Thalia asked while making kissy faces at me.

I had a good remark when my Dad interrupted "Who gave you a kiss goodnight?" I turned to see my father eyeing me curiously. I gulped and realized that my mouth suddenly turned dry. Thank the gods Piper was there to bail me out.

"Oh no Mr. Chase, Thalia asked if Annabeth had tried kelp flavoured fish tonight at the seafood restaurant we went to." My Dad relaxed a bit, but then instantly realized that I had a new piece of clothing with me.

"Whose sweater is that?" he asked while grabbing Percy's warm green hoodie.

"That's Luke's" Thalia replied. I gave her a look as she mouthed to me 'He likes Luke remember?' "We ran into him on our way out of the restaurant," Thalia continued "it was cold so he let Annabeth borrow his sweater." I mouthed a thank you to my best friends as they both gave me a knowing wink.

"Alright," my Dad began, obviously satisfied with Thalia's answer "I think it's time we all go to bed. See you girls in the morning." He handed me back Percy's sweater and once he was gone, we all let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close!" I exclaimed as I put on Percy's large, but comfortable sweater.

"Yeah! Just be thankful you have amazing friends like us to have your back" Piper said with a smug look on her face.

"Otherwise, you would have been screwed!" Thalia added while smirking. I looked at the two girls who had ruined my original date with Percy and then saved my butt from eternal punishment all in the same night. I smiled and hugged both of them with each arm.

"I'm glad to have such annoying yet loyal best friends like you" I said cheerfully. We all laughed and immediately went upstairs to get a well deserved rest.

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**Author's Note:**

**So this is a record breaking chapter! It is over 4, 400 words which hurts my brain just thinking about it... **

**Anyways, what I wanted to tell you guys about my trip was that I went to this pizza place where people have signed their names all over the walls, chairs, tables, etc. It was kind of like a decoration sort of thing because there wasn't one spot in the whole restaurant that wasn't covered with names. As I enter and look at the different names, I notice one name written in white with big capital letters. The name was Percy. Not one word of a lie, I shit a brick when I saw it (excuse my wording)! I took a picture and everything, that moment just made my whole trip. **

**Back to the story... please review and comment if you wish, I always love receiving your thoughts, whether they are just sweet comments or tips to make my story/writing better. The next chapter will be coming soon, thanks for being so patient! :)**


	12. An Unexpected Surprise

**Alright new chapter! WOOHOO! Oh my gods guys, I just realized this now, but PERCY JACKSON AND THE SEA OF MONSTERS IS COMING OUT IN 7 DAYS! You have no idea how excited I am! I'm going to see the first show with my Camp Half-Blood t-shirt! :) Yes... I have one ;) Let's just say that a pair of satyrs gave it to me (A.K.A. my parents). Anyways... on with the story! :D**

**Disclaimer: Oh my gods! I swear I do not own Percy Jackson! Sheesh! **

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**Percy POV**

I walked into my room and laid face up on my bed. I sighed deeply as I thought about the past few hours with Annabeth. Other than the fact that my so called friends had to come and ruin my original plans with her, tonight had to be one of the best dates I've ever been on.

Annabeth wasn't like anyone I have ever met. She was determined, competitive, passionate, caring, beautiful, and sometimes a little intimidating. She stood out in a crowd with her perfect features even though she'd try not to. Her blonde princess curls would always shine whether it was day or night. Her eyes were a different story. The stormy grey colour would vary depending on her mood. Sometimes they would shine bright whenever she'd be talking about architecture, or when she was laughing, or when she'd be making fun of me. When she was sad, her eyes would turn into a dark, dull colour that looked as if they could shatter into a million pieces if you said or did the wrong thing. When she was angry her eyes would ignite and it would look like there was a tornado brewing inside of her... trust me, you don't want to see an angry Annabeth.

I smiled as I thought about how lucky I was to have found her. It was also reassuring to know that she wouldn't do anything to hurt me like Calypso did. Now that I think about it, Annabeth is a thousand times better than Calypso ever was. Although Calypso could be thoughtful and caring, she was also pretty controlling. She always got mad at me whenever I did something without her. She also got jealous a lot. She once yelled at me for spending an afternoon with Leo and Nico instead of going shopping with her! As I remember all of the moments I've spent with her, I couldn't help but notice that Calypso was kind of insane. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a knock on my door.

"Percy?" my mother asked while peeking her head through the crack of the door "May I come in?" I motioned for her to enter and she sat at the edge of my bed with a nervous look on her face. I sat up and took her hand in mine.

"Mom? What's wrong?" I asked curiously. My Mom was never one to look worried. She always had a smile on her face, so seeing her like this concerned me a lot.

"I have something important to tell you. I am very happy about this Percy so I hope that you will keep an open mind when I tell you." I slowly nodded as she continued. "As you know, Paul and I have been dating for quite some time now."

How could I forget? Paul Blofis was my eleventh grade English teacher. He and my mother met at a parent teacher interview and they hit it off instantly. They've been dating ever since October, but I do my best not to think about it too much. To be honest, I thought it wouldn't last this long. My Mom has been asked out by many people, but she's always turned them down. I always thought it was because of my Dad, yet for some reason, Paul was able to convince her. He was a decent guy and he helped me with school whenever I needed it... but he still wasn't my Dad.

"Well, I like Paul a lot... Actually, I love him Percy, and he loves me" My eyes widened from her words. Love? She loved this guy? What about my Dad? Doesn't she love him too?!

"What are you trying to say Mom?" I felt my jaw start to clench and I could already feel the anger stirring up inside of me.

She sighed as she quietly said "Paul has asked me to marry him... and I said yes."

"WHAT?!" I quickly stood up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was going to re-marry! "What about Dad?!" I yelled.

"Percy," she began calmly "your father has been dead for over ten years. I think it's time that we both move on and start again. He would have wanted that."

"NO! I will not forget him!" I was pacing back and forth now; my emotions were clearly out of control.

"I'm not asking you to forget him" she grabbed my shoulders so I could stop moving around and she looked at me right in the eye "I am asking for you to give Paul a chance. He is an amazing man and he can be a great father figure to you if you let him."

"He will NEVER be my father!" I spit out. I shrugged her off and stomped towards the door.

"Perseus!" she yelled after me. I could tell she was angry now, but I didn't care. "Where are you going?!"

"OUT!" I yelled back. I slammed the front door, jumped into my truck, and drove away.

***30 minutes later***

Where I was going, I had no idea. I just needed to get away. I thought it would be a good idea to pass by Grover's house, but I remembered that he had a date with Juniper, so that was out. Maybe Nico's place? ... Nope, his Dad hates me. Jason? No, he would just start lecturing me. Leo? No way. The last time I stayed over at his house, I woke up with stringed cheese in my boxers and flower clips in my hair.

I sighed as I decided that it was best to just sleep in my own bed rather than on the street. I made a U-turn and drove towards my house while taking a short cut through the strip. As I glanced at the different stores, a ladder outside of 'Hal's Hardware' immediately caught my eye. I knew it was illegal to take someone else's ladder without their consent, but I was hoping to use it to see Annabeth. I really needed someone to talk to about all of this and who better than her?

As I quietly made my way to Annabeth's balcony, I prayed that no one (specifically her Dad) would see me. I placed the ladder in a sturdy position and began climbing. Once I reached the top, I cursed myself for not checking if she was awake first. Her lights were off and the curtains covered the glass door to her bedroom, so I instantly knew that she was asleep. It took all my courage to start quietly tapping on the door. I went through so much trouble just to come up here, so I wasn't leaving until I got to see her again.

"Annabeth?" I whispered while tapping the glass again "Are you awake?" After a few minutes a dim light lit her room. Her shadowy figure started walking towards the balcony, but it looked deformed. Once she reached the door, she quickly pulled the curtains away and I was surprised to see that she was carrying a lamp over her head. It looked as if she was ready to hit me with it, but she immediately put it down once she noticed it was me and not some creepy burglar.

She opened the door and loudly whispered "Percy! What the hell do you think you're doing?! It's almost one in the morning and you scared me to death!" I almost laughed at her sudden outburst, but my subconscious warned me that it would be wise not to.

I quickly analyzed her appearance and concluded that she looked like a complete bedhead. Her curls were all wild and frizzy and she wore a pair of grey sweatpants with a baggy t-shirt that read 'Knowledge is Power!'. She noticed me inspecting her which caused her cheeks to turn a deep red.

"What are you doing here?" she asked while attempting to tame her crazed hair.

"My Mom's getting re-married" I explained flatly. Her eyes widened as she now understood the reason why I had come. She grabbed my arm and pulled me in her room. She motioned for me to sit on her bed as she sat at her desk across from me.

She sighed and looked at me straight in the eye "Tell me everything". I did as she asked and explained the whole situation from the beginning. I told her about how my Dad's death affected our family, the many suitors that tried to get with my Mom, my Mom's relationship with Paul, and her acceptance to his proposal. Annabeth listened intently without ever looking away from my eyes. Once I was done, she got up from her desk and sat beside me, taking my hand in hers.

"Percy," she began "I know this is an extreme change, and I know that you feel like your Mom is replacing your father by marrying Paul, but you have to realize that that is not her intention." She steadily looked at me with those stormy grey eyes as she continued "Your mother obviously loves your father very much, and his death clearly hit her very hard. To get over the loss of a loved one is probably one of the most difficult things to do in the entire world, but from what I can see, your Mom is finally coming to terms with your Dad's death. She is moving on to create a new chapter in her life with Paul, and I think that you should do the same. I'm not saying that you should forget your Dad altogether, but I think that you should at least give Paul a chance at being your step-dad."

I obviously had a stunned look on my face because she closed my open mouth with her hand "Wow, I never knew you were so deep"

She giggled as she said "I never knew either. I guess watching Oprah re-runs every once in a while pays off." I laughed as I pulled her in for a hug.

"Thanks Wise Girl... I needed that. And you're right about everything. I don't know why I didn't realize it before."

"You're welcome Percy," she replied while squeezing me tighter "and maybe you didn't realize it because of your kelp filled head."

I could feel her smiling as I protested "Hey! At least I know how to defend myself"

"I can defend myself!" she exclaimed while crossing her arms.

"Oh yeah, lamps are VERY scary nowadays" I teased "Who needs a guard dog when you've got lamps to protect you."

She punched me in the arm and started pushing me out towards the balcony "Go on, get out. Our session is over and unless you want me to send my guard lamp after you, I suggest you go. You're cutting into my beauty sleep."

I laughed as I spun around and wrapped my arms around her waist "Like you need beauty sleep". She blushed at my comment, but she still insisted on making me leave.

"You'll see me on Friday" she stated while giving me a kiss on the cheek "By the way, where are we going? And please don't tell me it's another surprise!"

"You know you love my surprises," I grinned "but if you really want to know, I'm taking you to a pizza place in town. They serve the greatest pizzas known to man."

"Sounds good, I love pizza!"

"See? I knew you love my surprises"

She rolled her eyes "Goodnight Seaweed Brain, see you Friday."

"Goodnight Wise Girl. Maybe I should just keep the ladder here" I joked "just in case I need another late night chat" I gave her a wink as she glared at me.

"Wake me up like that again, and you won't live to see the sunrise." I smiled at her threat as I headed down the ladder.

_Wow _I thought _How she can wear the baggiest clothes, have the messiest hair, and have an angry expression on her face and still manage to look cute... I have no idea. _

***Friday - Around 12:30pm***

"So how were you able to get the keys to the mini-golf course without actually working there?" Annabeth asked while taking another bite of her pepperoni pizza.

"Well Travis Stoll, one of the brothers who hosted the party we went to, is dating the daughter of the guy who owns the place" I explained "Her name is Katie Gardner, and it took forever for him to convince her to lend him the keys. Considering his reputation and all, she thought he was going to trash the place with one of his famous pranks. After reassuring her that it was for me, she reluctantly gave it to him, but she threatened to beat him up if he did anything to the place."

"You really didn't have to go through all that trouble Percy" she said softly while looking down at her pizza "I would have been fine with just a movie."

"It was nothing," I replied while tucking a loose curl behind her ear "and besides, you deserve the best since you are the best." She chuckled as I felt my face turn red "Sorry... that was pretty cheesy."

"Eh, I've heard chessier." She smiled at me and I couldn't help but think about how lucky I was to have hit her in the head that day. Well, maybe it would have been better to not knock her out on our first meeting, but you know what I mean.

Once we were finished, Leo came up to us with a large, old fashioned camera. "Smile!" he yelled while blinding us with the bright light.

"Dude!" I exclaimed while trying to regain my vision "Are you trying to blind us?!"

"Sorry Perce," Leo said apologetically "my Dad's in charge of the summer slideshow this year, so he asked me to take as many pictures as I could of everyone on the island. Unfortunately the only camera we had is this old dinosaur." Leo looked at the camera disapprovingly, but quickly turned his attention to Annabeth and said "Hey Annabeth! Rumor has it that you're dating the fish head over here."

Annabeth's cheeks began to turn pink "Yeah, well-"

"That's too bad," Leo interrupted while flexing what very few muscles he had "because you could have had all of THIS!" Annabeth and I both threw our heads backs laughing. Leo smiled cheekily; obviously happy he could entertain us. "I have to get going now guys, I'll catch you later" he then winked at Annabeth "Think about it Annabeth, the ladies always love the bad boy."

She smiled while trying to contain her laughter "Yeah sure. I'll think about it Valdez" With that final note, he snapped one last picture of us and left the restaurant.

"He's nice," Annabeth commented "but a little insane."

I laughed as I grabbed her hand "Kind of like you."

She punched me in the arm "Hey! I am not insane!" She then looked around the restaurant with speculating eyes "What's insane are the designs on the wall. Why are there names everywhere?"

"The owner thought it would be cool if every visitor he had signed their name" I explained "It's sort of like a never ending yearbook."

Annabeth's eyes lit up "Can I sign it?"

I shrugged "Sure if you have a pen" She smiled as she quickly pulled out a blue pen from her purse. I rolled my eyes. Of course she would be the type of person to carry a pen with her.

She signed her name, wait no, her nickname, on the wall with incredible penmanship. I couldn't help but notice that she added a plus sign under her name. I looked at her questionably. "Now you" she said as she handed me the pen while blushing slightly.

I chuckled at her cuteness and wrote my nickname in sloppy handwriting. Her nickname was written in perfect cursive which made me a little self-conscious about my handwriting. My print seemed so plain under her cursive. After looking at it for a while, my anxieties went away and I smiled at how I liked seeing our names together like that.

_Wise Girl + _Seaweed Brain

She smiled and kissed my cheek as we headed out of the restaurant. As we walked hand in hand down the strip, I remembered that most couples who write their names like we did usually put '= forever' after it. My chest began to hurt as I finally realized that Annabeth would only be here for the summer. Once August is over, she would head back to New York and I would most probably never see her again. Our 'forever' would end in a matter of weeks.

_No _I thought _I'm not going to let that happen. I like Annabeth too much to just let this be a summer fling. Somehow, I'm going to find a way to stay with her, but for now, I'm going to make sure she has the time of her life while staying here. _

***The Next Day***

"See you later Mom!" I called before closing the front door "I'm going over to Nico's house"

"Ok!" my Mom called back "Be safe!"

My Mom and I were on good terms again. After having my late night talk with Annabeth, I went back to my house and apologized to her for the way I acted. I told her that I still didn't like the idea of having a step-dad, but that I would keep an open mind. She was completely overjoyed and she asked me to be her maid of honour at her wedding. I was a little taken back by her request, but she looked at me with puppy dog eyes, so I eventually gave in.

I knocked on Nico's door and waited for a while until it was answered by his Dad. Nico's Dad was tall and lean. He had black medium length hair and a bit of a beard. His skin was a lot paler than Nico's and when I was younger, I always thought that he was secretly a ghost or a zombie. The way he would look at you with those dark, almost black, eyes made you want to go dig a hole and cry for hours. I don't know why, but it always seemed like he never really liked me. He never actually told me up front, but the way he glowered at me clearly said that I was not his friend. Not that I would want to be.

"Hi Mr. Di Angelo," I said as politely as I could "is Nico home?"

He scowled at me until he turned around and yelled "Nico! Visitor!" He then left without saying another word as I stood there awkwardly waiting for my friend.

"Hey Perce" Nico greeted "come on in, we can play Xbox upstairs in my room." I followed Nico to his room and sat comfortably on one of his bean bag chairs. His room was a decent size with band posters up on the walls, clothes spilled everywhere, and video game cases in every corner. He had a pretty large window, but since his house was more in town, he had no view of the ocean which I didn't like.

After about twenty minutes of blasting each other in this strange new futuristic game Nico got, I asked "So, how are you and Thalia doing?"

His olive skin instantly turned red from the sound of her name "Good I guess, how are things with you and Annabeth?"

"Great" I responded halfheartedly.

He noticed my mood change so he paused the game and sighed "Alright, what's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you haven't talked about Annabeth the whole time you've been here and when I bring her up, all you can say is 'Great'. You're usually babbling about her non-stop so there has to be something wrong."

I sighed "Ok, well I guess I'm kind of bummed out that she's only here for the summer. I'm trying to figure out a way to stay with her longer than that, but I haven't thought of anything yet."

"You can't beat yourself up about that right now" Nico explained "I thought about that too when I first asked Thalia out, but you can't dwell too much on the future. You have to live in the moment and enjoy the precious time you have with the person you have in front of you. The universe will eventually work itself out."

_Wow _I thought _Has everyone turned deep?_

"Have you been watching Oprah?" I asked.

Nico gave me a confused face "What? No..."

I waved the question off "Never mind, I need you to help me with something."

"Ok, what is it?"

"I'm planning something special for Annabeth. Something that I know she'll love, but I need you to pull a few strings for me." I said while handing him my phone "But first, we need to make a few phone calls. Do you know Thalia's number off by heart?"

His cheeks turned a light pink as he nodded "Good, we're going to need her help too."

"What are you planning Percy?" he asked while eyeing me suspiciously.

I grinned widely "I'm going to give Annabeth an unexpected surprise."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Ooooo! What will the surprise be? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out ;) More Percabeth is still to come, but there might be a few bumps on the road for them. What you might ask? I'm not saying :)**

**Please remember review/comment on your thoughts of the chapter! :) I also want to say thank you for all the reviews and follows that you have all given me already, it really means a lot. **

**And a special thanks to whackadoodle100 for inspiring me with Percy and Annabeth's date! You're awesome! :) **


	13. Fireworks

**I can do this... Just 3 more days until 'Sea of Monsters' comes out... *breaths deeply*... I'm ok *grabs a tissue*... Really, I'm fine, it's just... you know what, let's just continue with the story.**

**Disclaimer: *thunder* I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON! Geez Zeus leave me alone! *lightning bolt* OW! Why you little-**

* * *

** Annabeth POV**

I looked at my Dad in disbelief "I'm going where with who now?"

"You're going to the beach bash with Luke tonight. He formally asked me if he could take you, so I gave him my blessing." I really didn't want to go to the beach bash with Luke. He was a nice guy and all, but I was hoping to go with Percy and spend some time with him since I haven't seen him all weekend.

"But-" I began to protest, but quickly shut my mouth. I almost let it slip that I was still seeing Percy when my Dad specifically told me not to. What was his deal with Percy anyways? He never did anything to make my Dad hate him so much... so why did he? It makes no sense, but I guess it's best not to bring it up right now.

"But?" my Dad asked "I thought you liked Luke. You've been spending an awful lot of time with him these past few weeks."

_Actually, I've been spending a lot of time with a certain green eyed Seaweed Brain _I thought.

"I do like Luke, it's just, I wanted to go with Thalia and Piper and make it a girls night. We haven't had many outings together since we've arrived here." Ok, at least that wasn't a total lie. We actually haven't hung out together very often, but not because we didn't want to. We just each found someone else to be entertained with. Piper found Jason, Thalia found Nico (which was a big surprise since Thalia has never liked anyone in her life), and I found Percy.

My Dad sighed "I understand that you want to be with your friends Annabeth, but I think you should give Luke a chance and go with him tonight. He is a very fine young man, and I can tell that he fancies you very much." Fancies? Who the hell says fancies anymore? I mentally face palmed... My Dad is so old fashioned.

I knew he wasn't going to drop this anytime soon, so I reluctantly agreed to go. "Great!" he exclaimed "Luke said he'll come by at around seven, so look sharp and don't be late." I rolled my eyes and headed towards my room. I sulked into my bed and began thinking about how I'm going to get through tonight. An idea suddenly came into my head.

_I'll bring Thalia and Piper along so that Luke doesn't think that this is a date! Good thinking Annabeth! _I praised myself.

I still felt like there was something off about Luke. It was as if he was hiding something behind that calm, cool, nice rich guy act. I shrugged the thought away for now and went over to Thalia's room to tell her the news. She had just finished talking with someone on the phone as I entered.

"Hey Annabeth!" she greeted "Are you going to the beach bash tonight?"

I looked at her skeptically "Yeah... Actually it's weird that you brought it up because I was about to invite you and Piper to come with me. Luke asked my Dad if I could go with him so my Dad sort of pressured me into attending. I didn't want Luke to think it was a date, so I was hoping you guys would tag along and help me out."

She suddenly had a worried look on her face, but it quickly vanished "Luke? I thought you were with the Kelp Head."

"Yeah, I am... I mean, at least I think we're... umm" To be honest, I have no idea what Percy and I are. Sure we've been on a few dates, but were we actually together? He never said anything about it and I have never really thought about it myself. Maybe we were a couple... or maybe this was just a summer fling. I felt my chest contract when I thought about it. Thalia noticed that I was unable to answer, so she patted my back reassuringly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Piper and I will be there to have your back."

I smiled and gave her a hug "You guys are the best"

"I know" she said confidently.

I pulled back and gave her a large grin "So... tell me how's it going with Nico."

Her face turned a bright shade of red "I don't know what you're talking about."I smirked at her as she got up and pretended to look busy cleaning.

"Oh really?" I teased "I think you do Thalia since you guys haven't been able to keep apart ever since Luke's party. Didn't you dance with him the whole time you were there?"

"I-I... ummm" I laughed at her unconfident state and nudged her slightly.

"I never thought I'd see the day when the incredible Thalia Grace would lose her cool over a GUY." I noticed her fists tightening and her jaw beginning to clench so I immediately ran to my room. I quickly locked the door as she tried to knock it down.

"GET OUT HERE ANNIE SO I CAN RIP YOU TO PIECES!" she yelled as she banged the door with her fists.

"Tempting," I called back "but I'll have to pass." I laughed as she got even angrier from my comeback. _She so likes him _I thought.

***At the beach bash***

"Sorry I didn't warn you about my friends," I told Luke apologetically "they just really wanted to come."

"No worries," he said while showing off his perfect smile "at least we're together now." He put his arm around me and I instantly felt uncomfortable. He smelled like he had bathed in 'Axe' cologne which made me want to gag. His scent didn't even compare to Percy's. Percy would always smell like cookies and salty ocean water. I know it sounds like a strange mix, but it's a scent that I have grown to love.

I laughed nervously "Yeah, good thing." I immediately started looking for Thalia or Piper who had just left to look for the snack table. I was relieved to have spotted Piper's choppy brown hair through the crowd. "I'm going to go get a snack, I'll be right back." Luke looked like he was going to protest, but I quickly walked away before he got the chance.

"Hey Annabeth," Piper greeted while taking another handful of Cheetos "cool party right?"

I grabbed some chips as I answered "Yeah, I guess."

She sighed "But you would rather be here with Percy wouldn't you?" I gave her a surprised look since she just basically read my mind. She laughed at my expression as she continued "It's pretty obvious that you'd rather be with him than Luke. I just don't understand why you don't tell your Dad up front that you and Percy are dating. I mean, I know he's not Percy's biggest fan or anything, but you should be allowed to be with whoever you want."

I knew she was right, but I also knew that if I told my Dad about my feelings for Percy, he would put me on 'Dad Watch' for the rest of the summer. I wouldn't even be allowed to breathe without his consent.

"And hey," Piper said while giving me a slight nudge " you never know if he just decides to show up and-" Her eyes widened as she looked behind me. I turned to see what had gotten her attention and I instantly saw him. He looked amazing with his messy raven black hair blowing in the ocean breeze. When he smiled his sparkling sea green eyes would shine brighter than anything I have ever seen. I caught my breath as Piper said "Or... he's already here."

He grinned widely once he noticed me through the crowd and quickly jogged over to the snack table "Hey Wise Girl, it's nice to see you here."

Piper nudged me and I promptly composed myself "Hey Seaweed Brain, it's nice to see you too."

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something" he said a bit nervously.

_Why was he nervous? _I wondered _Damn he looks good in that shirt-_

_FOCUS ANNABETH!_ scolded the annoying voice in my head _Stop drooling over him and pay attention!_

"Annabeth!" exclaimed a voice from behind me "I'm glad I found you. I was worried that you ditched me." I turned around to see Luke walking towards us. His smile instantly turned into a frown once he noticed Percy. I looked back at Percy to see him mimicking Luke's expression. So I'm guessing these two don't really like each other that much?

"I want to introduce you to some of my friends Annabeth." Luke said while ignoring Percy's presence "Come on let's go" He then linked his arm around mine and started pulling me away. Percy's eyes widened from Luke's forwardness, and he looked extremely disappointed for a moment. That feeling was soon replaced by a look of pure anger.

"Actually," Percy growled while grabbing my free arm and pulling me back "Annabeth and I were about to go somewhere to discuss something very important, so if you don't mind-"

Luke tightened his grip on my arm and was now pulling me with full force "Actually, I do mind since she's on a date with me and not you!"

Percy's face turned a deep red as he yelled "Yeah right! She doesn't even like you, you BASTARD!" They were both pulling me back and forth while yelling some pretty nasty things to one another. Eventually, I just couldn't take it anymore.

"WOULD YOU TWO JUST STOP IT ALREADY!?" Both of them were taken aback by my sudden outburst and they immediately let go of my arms "I'm not going anywhere with either of you until you settle your differences! If you need me, I'm going to be with Thalia." I stomped away leaving the two stunned boys behind me. What was with them? It seemed like they were two five year olds fighting over the latest toy.

I saw Thalia sitting on the beach with Nico closely beside her. I concluded that it was best not to bother them, so I went to find Piper again. She was walking hand in hand with Jason not to far from where I was standing, but I decided that I'd better leave them be as well.

_Ok... so it's just me, myself and I. Maybe you should just walk by the shoreline for a while and clear your head._

That didn't sound like such a bad idea, so I took off my sandals and began walking through the cool wet sand. I started thinking about my Mom. She would have really loved this place. I smiled to myself at the thought of us swimming in the ocean together and having sandcastle contests. If she were here right now, she'd most probably be embarrassing me to death by drowning me in sunscreen. I was so caught up in what could've been, that I hadn't noticed someone trailing close behind me. I turned around with clenched fists just in case I was going to be grabbed by some creepy guys again, but instead I came face to face with a grinning Percy.

"Now why would a pretty girl like you be walking on the beach all by herself?" he asked while giving me another one of his lop sided smirks.

"Trying to get away from crazy guys like you" I retorted.

He put his hand over his heart and pretended to look hurt from my comment "Me? Crazy? Now why on earth would you think that Wise Girl?"

"Oh I don't know... maybe because of the way you completely lost your cool with Luke back there?"

His jaw tightened once I mentioned Luke "The guy's a jerk Annabeth. He doesn't even deserve to be in your presence." His face soon changed from anger to sadness as he looked out onto the ocean. It seemed as if he was remembering something painful and Luke was most definitely a part of that memory.

Trying to lighten the mood I asked "Oh, and you think you deserve to be in the presence of the amazing and intellectual Annabeth Chase?"

He laughed "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were so high and mighty" he then bowed dramatically "You're wish is my command my queen." I laughed and shoved him playfully. We continued talking and walking along the beach together for a while until he stopped abruptly.

"Percy?" I asked "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" he said while taking a hold of my hands "Annabeth, I-I just wanted to... Ever since you- I mean... W-Would you consider" His face started to pale as he continued stammering. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not sure why I'm so nervous"

Percy nervous? Why? I don't understand... One minute he seems so calm and laid back and then the next he's stuttering and at a loss for words.

He took a deep breath and held my hands tighter as he said "I have something important to ask you so I was wondering if you could go somewhere with me so that I could tell you."

I gave him a confused look "Where do you want to go?"

"It's about a 3 minute walk from here, but you'll have to keep your eyes closed when we get close."

I sighed "Great... another surprise" I purposely tried not to hide the sarcasm in my voice.

He smiled "You know you love my surprises, now come on before it gets too dark" He let go of one of my hands while keeping a tight grip on the other as we continued walking. Let's just say that it was getting extremely hard for me to hide my blush around this boy.

**~Page Break~**

I could already feel the smirk spreading across Percy's face as he exclaimed "Ok, here we are! You can open your eyes now Wise Girl."

I gasped at the structure in front of me. It was the lighthouse! I had completely forgotten that I had wanted to visit it! It was even more exceptionally beautiful in person. The photo that I had seen in the brochure had not done it any justice. Sure, it was old and rustic but can you blame it? The thing is turning 500 this year! The entire structure looked like it had been made from grey and white cobblestone, but it was obviously made of something more durable. It was also extremely tall, I'd say its height was around 275 feet.

"How did you know I wanted to come here?" I asked Percy clearly astonished.

He chuckled "It's our greatest architectural monument Annabeth. Why wouldn't you want to come here?"

I gave him a bone crushing hug "Thank you! This is one of the greatest moments of my life!"

"Would you like to go inside? It's closed right now, but I pulled a few strings just for us." I grinned widely at him as I nodded and rushed towards the front entrance. I felt like Thalia when there would be free samples of food at the supermarket. I was that excited! Ok, I know I'm a nerd... just deal with it.

Besides the large winding staircase, the inside had obviously been remodeled. There was dark birch wood tiles covering the once concrete floor, LED lights in the ceiling, and a small elevator in the corner of the large room.

"Can we go to the top?" I asked excitedly.

"Well we aren't just going to stand down here all day" Percy laughed "And here I thought you were the wise one." Percy winked at me and headed straight for the stairs.

As he started walking up the endless staircase I cleared my throat "How about we use the elevator Seaweed Brain. I'd rather get there today rather than in twenty years."

His face turned beat red as he began his descent "Smart ass" he quietly mumbled to himself.

I shot him a look "What was that?"

He gave me an innocent smile "Nothing!"

I grinned triumphantly "That's what I thought"

Once we made it to the top, Percy grabbed my hand and lead me towards the balcony. "The best part about this place is the view" he said as he stared off into the ocean. The way the colourful sunset hit his face, made my heart literally skip a beat. I know it's cliché, but that's what it felt like.

"My Mom would have really loved this" I said sadly "I wish she was here to see it."

"You know what I wish for?" I looked at him questionably "I wish that my Dad could have been here to meet you. He would have liked you a lot."

"You think so?"

"I know so." He said it with so much certainty that I felt my cheeks start to turn pink.

"Annabeth," he began "if you don't mind me asking, how come you have your Mom as a contact on your phone?"

I sighed "When my Mom died, my Dad didn't have the heart to give her things away. One of them being her cell phone. He kept paying for it every year even though no one was using it. I was curious as to why he did that, so I thought that maybe I should try calling her phone number to see what happens. The call went to voice mail and that's when I heard her voice."

'You have reached Athena Chase. I am unable to attend your call at the moment, but please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you and have a great day!'

I took a deep breath as I recalled the message in my mind. "So whenever I got angry, or sad, or if I just plainly missed her, I would dial her number just to hear her voice." I felt the tears threatening to pour out of my eyes, but I held them back. I was not going to cry. Not right now, and definitely not in front of Percy.

After a moment of silence Percy said "I'm jealous"

"Jealous?" I asked. I was completely baffled. "What are you jealous of?"

"You." he admitted "All I have to remember my Dad are some old photos, a fish net, and a rusted up guitar. You on the other hand, actually have a recording of your Mom's voice. I would give anything to hear my Dad's voice again." He then let his head fall as if ashamed of his jealousy. I lifted up his chin with my hand and looked into his sea green eyes.

"You know your Dad would be proud of you right? You are such an amazing person Percy that it makes ME jealous. You are so charming, funny, nice, and loyal that it makes everyone want to be your friend. You're also athletic, talented, AND good looking. To be honest, I was completely surprised that you were still single when I arrived here."

Percy's eyes automatically brightened at the sound of my words. He smiled widely as he asked "You really think I'm good looking?" There was no denying that my face was now as red as a tomato.

"Really Seaweed Brain?" I began while trying to shrug off the compliment as if it was nothing "After that whole heartfelt speech, all you registered in that kelp filled head of yours was that I thought you were good looking?"

"I was just kidding with you Wise Girl" he replied with a wink. He then took a step closer and his expression turned serious. "About what I was going to ask you..." he held both of my hands in his and looked straight into my grey eyes "Do you like me as more than a friend? I mean I know we've been on a couple of dates already, but I just wanted to know."

I gulped. I'm not very good at expressing my emotions to other people... especially if it's people I like. Percy deserved to know the truth though, I owed him that.

"Yes," I replied nervously "I do like you as more than a friend."

He suddenly looked really relieved "Good, then you should know that I feel the same way." He then pulled out a small red box from his pocket. He opened it and inside was a small ring with a beautiful white pearl on top of it. I thought he was proposing to me so I instantly started to freak out. I'm only seventeen for goodness sakes! I can't just marry him after knowing him for what? Two, almost three weeks?!

He noticed my panicked expression and immediately exclaimed "Oh no, I'm not proposing to you Annabeth!" he let out a nervous chuckle as he continued "This is the same pearl that we found when we went snorkeling, so I thought it would be kind of romantic if I had my friend Silena make it into a ring for you."

My heart started pounding as he slid the ring onto my finger. "That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." I told him while smiling widely "Thank you so much!"

He smiled cheekily "I'm glad you liked it." He took another step closer "I have one more thing to ask you."

I caught my breath as I noticed our close proximity "What is it?" I said it so quietly that I barely heard it myself.

"Would you, maybe like to..." he took a deep breath as he finished his sentence "be my girlfriend?"

"Hmmm... I don't know, I would have to think about it"

He looked down with his face full of disappointment. "Oh... ok, I guess I'll just-"

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend Seaweed Brain!"

His head instantly shot up "You will?!" he seemed so surprised that I had accepted so, I decided to seal the deal by kissing him.

Have you ever heard people say that when you have your first kiss it's as if fireworks are exploding all around you? Or that you feel as if you're floating in midair? Or that the person you're kissing makes you forget the entire world around you and turns your brain to mush? Well, I'm here to tell you that all of those crazy clichés are one hundred percent true. When I kissed Percy, it was as if all of those things were happening at the same time. As I put my arms around his neck I felt light and full of energy. When he put his arms around my waist I felt like my whole body just turned to jelly. And as much as I tried to think of anything besides him, it just never seemed to happen. When he moved his head to deepen the kiss, I definitely felt the fireworks bursting and the sparks flying from every passing second. We eventually pulled apart for air and I immediately felt light headed.

"Wow" we both gasped at the same time.

We started laughing "Is it cheesy to say that I felt fireworks when we were kissing?" Percy asked.

"I felt the same thing" I replied happily. We both smiled as we leaned in and started kissing each other all over again. As our lips moved in sync, I knew that I would never be able to get enough of this.

After our long make-out session, I reluctantly checked my watch. "We should start heading back to the party. Everyone's probably wondering where we are."

"Let them wonder" Percy whispered as he started kissing me again.

It took all my strength to make myself pull away from him "Come on Seaweed Brain, I need to get home soon."

He sighed "Alright Wise Girl, but only on one condition." I raised my eyebrow waiting for him to continue "One, no more 'dates' with any other guy besides me. And two, you have to kiss me before you leave."

"That's two conditions Percy not one!" I complained.

He grinned "Hey, if you're going to be my girlfriend you need to agree to the terms."

I smiled. I liked the way he referred to me as his girlfriend. "Alright, I agree to your terms, now let's go."

We walked back to the party hand in hand (exchanging a few kisses every now and then of course) and I can honestly say that I have never felt so happy. This has been by far, one of the greatest days of my life.

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**Author's Note:**

**PERCABETH! PERCABETH! PERCABETH!**

**So, it's official! They are finally together! WOOHOO! *dance break***

**... But will they stay like that for long? :)**

**As always I'd love to hear your thought/ideas/comments about the chapter/story, so please review! :) **

**Now go eat something special in celebration of their new relationship... preferably something blue ;) **


	14. Your Biggest Fan

**Guys! Today is the day! THE SEA OF MONSTERS IS FINALLY OUT AND I'M GOING TO THE FIRST SHOW! Tears of joy are running down my face! I am so excited! Ok, I'm calming down now so that I can give you this latest chapter in honour of this celebration! I hope you enjoy it! :) But first, I'm going to answer back a few reviews. I never do this, but I just felt like it :P**

** alimela8 - I can't promise anything ;) but thanks so much! :)**

** Princess-Girl12 - AHAHA! Your review made my day! **

** Jedi1 - Or will she? ;) **

** Emchmi999 - Will he? Maybe, he won't... you never know ;)**

** whackadoodle100 - Ahaha! What an awesome treat! I wish I had some right now! :) Thanks for reading!**

** HAZEL DAUGHTER OF HADES - Oh my gods, it's so weird that you're reviewing one of my stories because I'm actually reading one of yours! Thank you for reading! **

**Disclaimer: As much as I LOVE Percy Jackson, he does not belong to me! Rick owns all rights!**

* * *

**Percy POV**

I can honestly say that I have never felt so happy. The beautiful blonde grey eyed girl that was walking beside me while holding my hand had just agreed to be my girlfriend! Not to mention that she kissed me after I asked her! SHE KISSED ME!

_Woah! Ok, calm down there Percy._ Warned the annoying voice in my head_ You don't want to give off the impression that you're overly excited._

I ignored the warning and looked down at Annabeth. She was laughing at another one of my stupid comments and I couldn't help but notice that she looked absolutely stunning. Her shiny blonde hair was let down and it blew wildly in the ocean breeze which allowed you to see her heavenly face. As she laughed, her stormy grey eyes would brighten and her cheeks would turn slightly pink. Her smile could also dazzle anyone within a hundred yard radius. Eventually, I just couldn't take it anymore.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her fervently. She seemed a bit surprised at first, but she soon kissed me back with the same intensity. I don't know how long we stood there, wrapped in each other's arms and kissing each other like there was no tomorrow, but I didn't want to stop. Kissing her was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Her lips were so soft and they seemed to fit mine perfectly. When she kissed me, I felt passion and determination radiating from every touch. I just couldn't get enough of it. It was like a drug that I was completely addicted to. We eventually had to pull away for air and I noticed that we were both breathing pretty hard.

Annabeth's cheeks were flushed when she asked "What was that for?"

"For being the best girlfriend ever" I responded with a large grin on my face.

She gave me one of her many looks "I've been your girlfriend for about," she checked her watch "ten minutes Seaweed Brain. I don't think I'm qualified for that title just yet."

I laughed "Of course you're qualified! You're beautiful, smart, funny, and an amazing kisser." If the night had gotten any darker, I wouldn't have been able to notice the blush in her cheeks.

"Although," I continued while putting my arm around her "you can be a little arrogant at times."

"Excuse me!" she protested "I am NOT arrogant!" she shrugged my arm off and began stomping away. I guess she didn't notice that I was kidding...

I ran after her, not caring that the ocean water was splashing all over my shorts. "Oh come on Wise Girl! I was only joking!"

I grabbed her arm and turned her around only to find her smirking at me. "You weren't really mad?!" I exclaimed "You were messing with me the whole time!"

She laughed while putting her arms around my neck "I'm sorry! What can I do to make it up to you?" She stared into my eyes and started playing with the hair on the back of my head. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't fall into a daze when she did that.

I quickly composed myself and smiled at her mischievously "Well, there is one thing" I put my hands on her waist and began leaning in. She smiled at me and did the same. Once I was just centimeters from her lips, she sidestepped and made me trip into the salty ocean water. Luckily, I was able to put my hands in front of me so that I wouldn't land face first. Unfortunately, a wave came a few seconds after and drenched me completely. I spit out the water that was in my mouth while Annabeth was laughing hysterically from behind me.

"That wasn't funny Annabeth!" I yelled.

"Oh.. yes it...was!" she exclaimed in-between breaths. Once she started to calm down she gave me a large smirk "That's what you get for calling me arrogant."

I glared at her and let out a huge sigh "Fine you win. Now would you help me up?" She smiled victoriously and held out her hand for me to grab. I gladly took a hold of it, but instead of her pulling me up, I pulled her down into the water with me.

I laughed loudly as she spit the ocean water out of her mouth and tucked the wet hair away from her face. I made the mistake of looking at her eyes though. They looked like they were shooting millions of daggers towards me.

"You..." she growled through her clenched teeth "are SO DEAD!" My survival instincts kicked in and I began to swim away. If you're on your home turf, then you always have an advantage... and the water was like a second home to me. I could hear her swimming behind me, but I was way too fast for her to keep up. I guess being the best swimmer in your high school swim team does help in life.

Once I felt that I was far enough, I looked back to see where she was. She was still a good length away, so I decided to swim back to shore without her noticing. Once I started walking out of the water, I turned back and noticed that Annabeth wasn't anywhere to be seen. I instantly began to panic. What if she drowned?! What if a shark came and ate her (sharks weren't uncommon around here)?! How could you let this happen?! She's probably DEAD because of your careless-

"GOTCHA!"

I suddenly felt someone tackle me to the ground. I immediately noticed the blonde hair and was relieved to see that it was Annabeth. She had pinned me down and I had to admit, she was a lot stronger than she looked. She sat on my stomach and held my arms above my head... basically, I was trapped. Although... I didn't really mind being in this position.

I grinned at her "You know, if you wanted to be on top, all you had to do was ask."

Her face turned completely red as she began to stutter "I-I didn't... It wasn't s-supposed... I d-didn't mean-"

"Relax Wise Girl," I interrupted "I was just kidding." She let out a sigh of relief as she loosened her grip on my arms. I took the opportunity to flip us over so that now I was hovering over her. For some reason her surprised look made her even cuter.

"I think you still owe me an apology" I whispered while leaning into her. She glared at me, which was probably because she knew that I had won, but her face soon softened as she began to meet me half way. I put one of my hands on her waist while she ran her fingers through my wet hair. We stayed like that for what seemed like hours, but in reality were most probably only a few minutes. We stopped abruptly when we heard a slight cough from above us. We pulled apart to find Nico and Thalia smirking widely at us.

"So," Nico began while trying desperately to hold in his laughter "what's new with you guys?"

Annabeth and I immediately stood up and tried to wipe the sand from our wet clothing. "Not that it's any of my business," Thalia chimed in "but you guys weren't going to... you know"

I could feel my face burning as Annabeth turned to her and yelled "THALIA! You know I wouldn't do something like that! Much less on a beach!"

Thalia shrugged "Just asking."

Nico laughed loudly while putting his arm around her "Come on Thals, let's leave the two love birds to their nightly activities." Annabeth's face blushed furiously as Thalia winked at her and soon enough, we were alone again.

Not long after, we continued our journey back to the party, but I soon started to shiver from the cold breeze. I looked over at Annabeth whose teeth were chattering, so being the good boyfriend that I am, I took off my, now dry, blue t-shirt. I wrapped it around her as she stared wide eyed at me.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" she asked while looking at my stomach.

I smirked at her "Nawh, I'll be fine... you like what you see?" I waved my hand over my abs as she looked away while trying to avoid my gaze.

"Someday, your head is going to explode from how much seaweed is in there."

I wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head "And yours will explode from how much unnecessary and boring information you have cooped up in there." She laughed as she encircled one of her arms around my torso and snuggled into my chest. Suddenly, I didn't feel so cold anymore.

***One Week Later***

Annabeth and I were having a blast! We've been officially a couple for a whole week and as a celebration, we're having a barbecue at Jason's house. I wish you could have seen the look on Luke's face when I kissed Annabeth goodnight at the beach bash. He looked like one of those cartoons that get so angry that steam comes out of their ears. I knew he wouldn't give up in trying to get with her, but for now, I'm just happy that she chose me over him.

I know what you thinking. _Why don't you just tell Annabeth that Calypso cheated on you with Luke? _Honestly, I really wanted to. I didn't want her hanging around him anymore and I knew that telling her would make her stay away from him permanently. Unfortunately, Luke would automatically know why Annabeth has suddenly given him the cold shoulder, and he would immediately run to Annabeth's Dad and tell her that she's still seeing me and that we are now dating in secret. So as long as I keep my mouth shut about Luke's betrayal, he'll keep his mouth shut about our relationship.

I'm not the type of guy that gives gifts to girls after dating them a week or a month (I mean what kind of guy goes up to their girlfriend with a dozen roses saying "Happy two month and three quarters anniversary!"), but for some reason, I felt obliged to give Annabeth something. I just didn't know what. After pondering for what seemed like decades, an idea finally came into my head. I was going to need some help though.

Annabeth drove over to Jason's house in the car that she rented with Thalia and Piper, so that gave me enough time to go over to Leo's place to prepare my surprise. Ok, do you really want to know what her gift is? I know it's kind of cheesy, but I wrote her a song. I'm not singing it though! Well, technically I am, but what I mean is that I'm not singing it live. I'm getting Leo to record me singing it on a disc since I'm still not ready to sing in front of people again.

It took all of my courage to write this song for her. Not only because I'm trying to open up to her (which is really hard for me to do), but also because music always reminds me of Calypso. She played the guitar, the piano, the bass, and she could sing. I remember the first time I heard her sing. She sounded like she could become an international superstar and I bet that if she really tried, she could be. That was until I heard Annabeth sing. She sounded like an angel! If she and Calypso had a sing off, Annabeth would be the winner hands down.

Anyways, I had always loved music ever since I heard my Dad play the guitar for me. Before he died, he taught me a few chords, but after the accident, I never wanted to see a guitar again. Once I was dating Calypso, she changed my mind about music. She taught me how to play the guitar and she pushed me into singing, which apparently, I wasn't half bad at. After she cheated on me, I pretty much lost my love for music. It was just too painful since it reminded me of her so much. Fortunately, Annabeth changed all that. She made me want to start playing again.

After ringing the doorbell, Leo opened the door and greeted me with one of his mischievous smiles "Hey Perce! Ready to go to work?"

I sighed "As ready as I'll ever be."

It didn't take too long for me to record the vocals and the guitar. All that was left were the drums, bass, backup vocals, and some extra stuff that Leo offered to put in. We were finished in a record time of an hour and a half. I think that it also helped that Leo had a state of the art recording studio in his basement. His Dad wanted to use the space for his mechanical projects, but Leo somehow convinced him to let him use it for music instead. He had this incredible soundboard that could be used to create any instrument that he wanted. From the drums, to the bagpipes, to even the piccolo, Leo had it all. He also had a few electric guitars at his disposal. One of them being his prized possession. It was a black Gibson with fire painted at the bottom of it. He named it Festus and he wouldn't let anyone go near it. If he caught you trying to play it... well, I just hope you've got some good insurance.

"Alright Perce, I'm going to go burn the disc now and I'll see you at Jason's" Leo said while turning off the amps.

"Alright man, thanks again for helping" we did our 'manly' handshake as I headed out the door.

Before I closed the front door, I heard Leo mumble to himself "Man, people are going to FREAK!" I grinned at his comment since that will most probably happen. I haven't sang a single note in front of anyone for two years until today, so this was going to be a shock for everyone.

***Jason's House***

I heard people talking and laughing in Jason's backyard so I decided to just let myself in. His house was medium sized since only he and his Mom live there. His Dad abandoned them when Jason was around two. Anyways, the best part of Jason's house was his backyard. He lived in town so instead of having sand, he had grass cover every corner of the yard. He also had a trampoline, a tire swing, and a pool. I still didn't understand why he owned a pool if the ocean is just five minutes away, but whatever, I'm not here to judge.

I saw Annabeth laughing by the trampoline with Piper and Jason so I decided to sneak up on her. I signaled Piper and Jason to not say a word as I quietly tip toed my way towards her. I was about a few inches away, ready to pounce on her, when she said "Don't even think about it Seaweed Brain."

I groaned "How did you know it was me?!"

She turned and gave me a peck on the lips "Because you're so predictable"

"Well now I won't give you your weekaversary present" I replied while crossing my arms.

She let out her angelic laugh and I couldn't help but feel all warm inside "Did you actually just say weekaversary? Have we really turned into that couple?"

"Hey!" Piper said defensively "Jason and I celebrated our weekaversary! There isn't anything wrong with it!"

"Yeah!" Jason agreed while putting his arm around Piper's waist "Although I still don't understand why people need to celebrate a week of dating... at least you get presents"

"Sorry guys," Annabeth said apologetically "I didn't mean any harm by it." She then turned to face me again "You really didn't have to get me anything Percy. I'm fine with just spending time with you."

I smiled "I know it's not an extremely special date, but I wanted to give you something." I checked my watch "It should be arriving any minute now." Leo then barged into the yard with a crazed look on his face. He waved me over, so I excused myself and jogged towards him.

"There was a problem with the recording Percy," he explained in a low voice so that no one else could hear "the guitar didn't record."

"WHAT?!" I yelled in a hushed tone "Now what am I going to do?! She's waiting for her gift!"

"Don't worry man, I got a plan" Leo then ran back to his car and returned with a caramel coloured acoustic guitar "Just play through the music, and everything will be fine."

I hesitated. The whole reason I did the CD was so that I didn't have to play in front of her. Now, I had no choice.

"Fine" I hissed "let's do it now so that I can get this over with."

"You got it!" Leo replied a little too happily. He grabbed his stereo that he set down on a nearby table and put the disc in. He then grabbed a red solo cup and began hitting it with a plastic knife. When no one payed attention he yelled "HEY! SHUT UP FOR A SECOND!" Everyone immediately stopped their conversations and turned to face Leo standing on Jason's picnic bench.

"Thank you. As you all may know, Annabeth and Perce have been able to remain a couple for a whopping record of one entire week!" I didn't know if he was praising us, or being sarcastic "So, our little Perseus over here," I cringed at the sound of my full name "has decided to give Annabeth and all of us a concert for this special occasion."

"Actually," I chimed in "it's only one song."

Leo waved my comment away "Anyways, without further ado, I give you Perseus Jackson singing and playing an original song." He then hit play on the stereo and the music began playing.

_Ok, _I thought _No turning back now- Wait... did Leo just say sing? _

I looked back at Leo with a mix of a death stare and a panicked expression, but he just grinned and put his thumbs up. That little shit! I'm going to have to beat him up later for setting me up like this. I can't believe he was planning this the whole time!

_Well Percy, it's now or never._

I wanted to choose never, but when I looked into Annabeth's eyes, I discovered a confidence inside of me that I never knew I had. She smiled widely as I began strumming the guitar and opened my mouth to sing to her.

_Never thought I would but did it_  
_Never thought I could did it like that_  
_Did it like this_  
_Did it like everybody knows_  
_That we got something real, shawty_  
_I know what I feel so shout it like that_  
_Shout it like this_  
_Listen up everybody knows but you so here it goes_

Everyone was cheering me on while clapping to the music. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Annabeth though. Her cheeks were turning a slight pink as I walked up to where she was sitting and sang right in front of her.

_Cause I never really noticed_  
_Took a while for me to see_  
_Playing back the moments_  
_Now I'm starting to believe_  
_That you could be at the show and know everyone_  
_But it's you who makes me sing_  
_I may not know where we are, but I know who I am_  
_Baby I'm your biggest fan_  
_Oohh_

Everyone was dancing now, but Annabeth stared at me intently with a huge grin plastered on her face. I couldn't help but grin back as I sat down beside her and continued to sing.

_Listen, every time you smile for me_  
_Takes me a while to bring myself back_  
_Cause you're all that_  
_And I just had to let you know_  
_That I'm screaming out in the crowd for ya_  
_I can be too loud, Cause I don't care_  
_I let 'em all stare I just want everyone to know_  
_the truth it's only you_

_I never really noticed_  
_Took a while for me to see_  
_Playing back the moments_  
_And I'm starting to believe_  
_That you could be at the show_  
_And Know everyone but it's you who makes me sing_  
_I may not know where we are_  
_But I know who I am_  
_Baby I'm your biggest fan_

The music continued and I looked over at Leo with wide eyes. The song was supposed to be finished already! He mouthed 'sorry' to me as he quickly tried to think of a solution. His eyes brightened as he yelled "RAP!"

_WHAT?! _I thought _I can't rap!_

Pretty soon everyone was chanting "RAP! RAP! RAP!" So I sighed and gave it my best shot without ever looking away from Annabeth's gorgeous grey eyes.

_You showed up and you looked so classy_  
_Made me think twice 'bout the way I was acting_  
_You were there from the start of it all_  
_Like a dream came to life now I'm left in all_  
_Stars shine but your light is the brightest_  
_And love flies but your love is the highest_  
_You're so sweet that it drives me crazy_  
_A summer like no other you're my New York baby_

Everyone including Annabeth clapped and hollered at my improvisation. I smiled widely as I finished the song.

_No I never really noticed_  
_Took a while for me to see_  
_Playing back the moments_  
_And I'm starting to believe_  
_That you could be at the show and know everyone_  
_But it's you who makes me sing_  
_I may not know where we are_  
_But I know who I am_  
_Baby I'm your biggest fan_  
_oohh_  
_Baby I'm your biggest fan_  
_Oohh_  
_That you could be at the show and know everyone_  
_But it's you who makes me sing_  
_I may not know where we are_  
_But I know who I am, baby I'm your biggest fan_

I strummed the last chord and everyone cheered. Annabeth pulled me in for a hug and then gave me an incredible ten second kiss.

"Oh get a room!" Thalia yelled dramatically while pretending to gag.

Annabeth just shot her a look before she turned her attention back to me "That... was the greatest gift I have ever gotten! Thank you!" she exclaimed while smiling from ear to ear.

I mimicked her smile as I replied "You're welcome. And just so you know, I meant every word of it."

She tackled me with another kiss which only made Leo groan "Ok guys, we get that you're a couple and all and that someday you'll have some attractive, smart ass, musically talented kids, but I'd like to eat my cake without having to see you two making out. So, if you don't mind..."

Annabeth and I pulled away while laughing at a disgusted Leo. I decided that it was best to not get too mad at him for setting me up the way he did. After all, it helped me get over my anxieties of performing in public, so I guess I should thank him for that... but not before I chase him with the hose.

**~Page Break~**

"I can't wait until you publish your first CD" Annabeth joked as I dropped her off at her house.

"Trust me," I said while leaning in closer to her "you'll get the first copy."

She smiled as we kissed on her porch. Her Dad could open the door at any second, but I didn't care. I just wanted to feel her close to me. At first the kiss was slow and gentle, but it didn't take too long for it to become desperate and full of life. We were breathing heavily as we pulled up for air, but I didn't want to stop. I started kissing her neck, and then eventually her collarbone.

She sighed at the feeling "Percy stop, we could get caught" she warned.

I looked into her eyes "I don't care. I just want to be with you." I kissed her again and she kissed back with new found passion.

After a few minutes, she eventually pulled away "Sorry Percy, but I have to go in now. My Dad's waiting for me."

I let out a huge sigh "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." She gave me one last kiss before she opened the door and disappeared inside.

As I entered my house I called "Mom! I'm home!" I then heard some clatter in the kitchen, so I walked towards it thinking that my Mom was trying to create a new recipe for her shop.

"Sorry I got home so late," I explained "Annabeth and I got a little tied u-" I stopped dead in my tracks.

_Is this real?! _I thought _No, I must be dreaming! SHE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE! WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE!?_ _IN MY HOUSE?!_

"Hello Percy," my face began to pale from the sound of her voice "it's nice to see you again."

_Fuck._

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**Author's Note:**

**So I'm guessing that you all know who it is... no surprise there. But the real question is "What's going to happen to Annabeth and Percy's new relationship? Will it break?" Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out! ;) **

**So I have some bad news. Well, I'm excited... but you'll know what I mean once I say it. I'm going away on vacation again. Except this time it's with my best friend. I leave on the 11th and I won't be back until the 18th. I'm really sorry about this, but it is summer. As much as we'd like to be, we shouldn't be cooped up on our computers the WHOLE time. **

**So I plan on writing hopefully 2 more chapters before I leave. I'm making no promises though, but it is my goal.**

**So please review/comment on the chapter/story! I love you all and thanks so much for all of your continuous support! Oh, and have fun watching the SEA OF MONSTERS! :D**

**P.S. If you want to know the song it's 'Biggest Fan' by Nick Jonas**


	15. New Friends Become Rivals

**OH MY GODS GUYS! HOLY HADES! I JUST SAW PERCY JACKSON AND THE SEA OF MONSTERS AT 11:15 YESTERDAY MORNING! MY FANGIRL METER IS OFFICIALLY OFF THE CHARTS! I CAN'T! IT WAS JUST SO AMAZING! NOT ONE WORD OF A LIE, I ALMOST CRIED AROUND TWENTY TIMES THROUGHOUT THE MOVIE! (I cried when I got home... no big deal) IT WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!**

**Now that I got that out of my system... I just want to say that I absolutely adored the movie. Sure, it wasn't exactly like the book, but it was incredibly well done. I was really happy with it, so I hope that you guys will be too. I won't give away any spoilers to the fans whose country hasn't released the movie yet. I don't want to spoil it for you guys. For those of you who will see the movie soon... you're in for an AWESMAZING treat! :) **

**Disclaimer: Percy Jackson does not belong to moi! ... but I can dream can't I?**

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**Annabeth POV**

I spent the day with my Dad since Percy cancelled our plans last minute. He seemed sort of distracted the last time I talked to him. There was definitely something on his mind, but I controlled my curiosity and decided to wait until he was ready to tell me. I could usually get people to tell me what they were thinking without too much effort, but Percy was a different story. I didn't want him to feel like I was some crazy overprotective girlfriend wanting to know his every move. Besides, Percy is just as stubborn as I am, so it would be nearly impossible to get the information out of him.

My Dad took the day off from his research to spend the afternoon with me. Surprisingly, it was a lot of fun. We had a nice lunch at this small, but quaint Italian restaurant which was run by Nico's mother. I found it hilarious that she made Nico wait on us. He looked so awkward wearing his white and green apron that even my Dad let out a chuckle. Once we were finished, we took a map and began to sight see. He took me to almost every corner of the island and I captured every piece of scenery with my brand new camera that I had bought before we came. He also took me to the lighthouse as a special end of the day surprise. Although I had already visited it, I was still ecstatic to explore it again.

I smiled to myself when we reached the top of the lighthouse. I couldn't help reminiscing the memory of my first kiss with Percy. No matter how old I get, I will never forget that day and how perfect life has become after that moment. It felt almost too good to be true. It was as if this whole vacation has been some cheesy fairytale and Percy was my knight in shining armor. I'm not the type of girl to be thinking of herself as some kind of princess waiting for her prince charming to come along. Although this trip seems very fairytale like, I'd still rather be my independent self and solve my own problems before letting a guy try to swoop in and 'rescue' me. Nonetheless... I still wouldn't mind if Percy was the guy to do it.

We decided to stop for coffee on our way back home. We walked along the strip and found a nice looking cafe called 'Chiron's Cordial Coffee'. We entered and as I went up to the counter for someone to take our orders, I instantly recognized the older looking man who was brewing the drinks. It was the same man who gave us the keys to the beach house on our first day at Riverside... I wonder what he's doing here.

Once he turned around I noticed that his name tag read 'Chiron'. Oh! He's the owner of the place! That makes a lot more sense. When he saw me, he greeted me with a warm smile. Even though he wasn't that old, he kind of reminded me of a caring grandfather.

"Hello Annabeth, it's nice to see you again" Wow. I'm impressed that he remembered my name... Wait, I don't recall ever telling him my name.

"Percy's told me a lot about you" he continued. Oh, that explains it.

"All good things I hope" I replied smiling.

He chuckled "Of course. Now what can I get for you today?"

"I'll have a tall 'Ambrosia Cappuccino' and a regular 'Nectar Espresso' please."

"Coming right up!" he then turned around and began making the drinks. Once he handed them to me and I finished paying, I slowly turned around to make sure I didn't spill them. Sadly, I had no such luck.

I felt the coffee burning through my white blouse and I let out a small scream from the heat. The person I ran into immediately started dabbing my shirt with napkins.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed "I'm such a klutz! Let me pay for your drinks!" I examined the girl from head to toe. She was around my age with straight long caramel coloured hair and large chocolate brown eyes. She was also around my height with a slim figure and a completely flawless face. She looked like she had a team of Hollywood make-up artists dolling her up every morning. Needless to say, I started feeling a little self-conscious around her. I had always wanted straight hair, but whenever I tried to straighten my hair, it would just frizz up and become curly again.

"Don't worry about it." I assured her "Accidents happen."

She gave me a small smile "You're right, but I still feel bad about your shirt. Please let me buy you some new drinks." I felt like she wasn't going to leave me alone until she did something for me so I agreed to let her pay for the coffee. She seemed really nice so I invited her to sit with my Dad and I.

When we approached my Dad who was sitting in a small booth, he looked up from the newspaper he was reading and eyed me questioningly "What happened to your shirt Annabeth?"

"Oh, there was just a little accident, but my new friend- I'm sorry I didn't catch your name" I said while looking at the girl expectantly.

She smiled and I couldn't help but notice that her teeth were sparkling white "Calypso. My name is Calypso Greene."

My Dad held out his hand to greet her "Nice to meet you Calypso. My name is Frederick Chase, and as you may already know, this is my daughter Annabeth."

"It's nice to meet you both" Calypso replied while shaking my Dad's hand.

She sat down and drank her coffee with us for around twenty minutes. She had to leave since her father had her on a tight curfew and he would freak if she came home late... Hmm. Kind of reminds me of someone else I know. Anyways, in that short period of time that I got to know Calypso, I concluded that she was a pretty decent person. She had just returned from California with her Dad after having been gone for over two years. I asked her for her reason to come back and she responded by saying that she wanted to finish her senior year here and catch up with some old friends. I also found out that she loved gardening, volleyball, singing, and playing music. She apparently plays a ton of instruments. She said that she had just recently learned to play the saxophone. I was extremely impressed.

Before she left the cafe I asked "Would you like to hang out with my friends and I on Wednesday? There's a battle of the bands going on in the park and we were going to hear some people play."

"I'd like that" she replied with a smile "I'll see you then!"

Once my Dad and I got home, we watched a couple of shows on the flat screen and soon enough, my eyes were beginning to feel drowsy.

I yawned "I think I'm going to go to sleep now Dad." I then gave him a large bear hug "Thanks for today, I had a lot of fun."

He smiled at me "I had fun too" his expression then turned serious "Before you go Annabeth, I need to talk to you about something." He motioned for me to sit on the couch while he sat across from me in the reclining chair.

"Annabeth," he hesitated for a moment before he continued "you would tell me if you were in a relationship with someone right?"

I couldn't help but feel guilty from his question. Honestly I really wanted to tell him, but I'm so positive that he'll get angry at me so what's the point? If he hadn't hated Percy so much (I'm still not sure as to why that is), then maybe I would open up to him.

I looked at the ground "Yes I would. Why do you ask?"

"Because I was curious to know whether you were involved with Luke or not. He keeps sending expensive bouquets to the house." He then pointed to a colourful arrangement of roses "That's the fourth one this week."

Actually, that's the third one given by Luke. The first bouquet was given to me by Percy the day after we decided to become a couple. He had picked the flowers himself from one of his friend's gardens and they were unlike any flowers I had ever seen. Each one just brightened the room from their vibrant colours, but one of them stood out to me. I didn't know the name, but it was the smallest of them all. It had emerald green in the center of it and as you moved your eye down the petals, it changed to a soft aquamarine blue. It was delicate and subtle, which just made me love it even more.

Luke's flowers on the other hand were so plain and traditional. As pretty as roses and tulips are, they didn't compare to Percy's arrangement. Maybe I like Percy's bouquet better because I knew that Luke just bought his at a store while Percy had picked each flower out himself. Percy's was definitely more personal, and I liked that. I guess that's the reason why it's sitting on my bedside table right now while Luke's is still downstairs by the front door.

"No," I said as confidently as I could "Luke and are not dating."

He seemed a little disappointed, but it soon faded "I believe you." He then stood up and looked at me sheepishly "I know I'm a bit protective of you Annabeth, but it's only because I don't want to see you hurt. I still think Luke is a good person for you, but it's completely your choice on who you decide to date." He chuckled "Your mother would have been so much better at this,"

I was shocked. My Dad never openly talked about my mother with me. The last time I brought her up, he just got up and locked himself in his room for hours. It worried me a lot, so I decided it was best to just keep my mouth shut and not say a word about her to him.

"but you should know" he continued "that you can talk to me about anything."

"I know Dad" I gave him another hug and headed upstairs.

I opened the door to my room and was about to turn on the lights, when I saw a large lumpy figure in my bed. I grabbed the closest object to me (which was my lamp) and slowly walked towards it. I was now standing beside my bed when I saw a mop of black hair peeking out from underneath the sheets.

_Great! _I thought _Some large creepy animal just decided to take over my room and sleep in my bed! It will most definitely be filled with fleas in the morning..._

It began to move so I panicked and hit it hard with the plastic lamp. It made a groaning sound so I hit it again harder. I was about to hit it a third time when it reached out and grabbed my arm. I was about to scream when it pulled me into the bed and covered my mouth. I began kicking and throwing my arms frantically, when I suddenly noticed that this animal had no hair on its paws. I started to calm down when I realized that they were actually human hands.

_Wait, if these are human hands... THEN WHO THE HELL IS IN MY BED?!_

"Would you relax Wise Girl? It's just me" I was extremely relieved to know it was Percy and not some insane murderer.

"Percy!" I hissed "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I wanted to talk to you, but you weren't here" he explained "So I thought that I could wait for you, but I fell asleep."

"How did you get in here? The front door is always locked."

"The balcony" he stated plainly. He then began rubbing the side of his arm "Oh and by the way, I take back what I said about lamps. They're very tough." I laughed at his pain, but he just glared at me.

"I'm sorry Seaweed Brain, I promise to not hit you with my vicious lamp again."

He grinned at me mischievously "I'll only forgive you if you kiss it better."

I shot him a look "What are you five?"

"No!" he protested "I'm five and a half."

"You're so immature" he then looked at me with huge puppy dog eyes and I eventually gave in and kissed his 'wounded' arm.

"See?" he asked "Was that so hard?"

"You're such a softy!" I teased "I guess you aren't as strong as you look."

"Wanna bet?" he then trapped me under the covers and pinned my arms down while hovering over me with a smug look on his face.

"Let me go Percy!" I quietly yelled. I didn't want anyone else hearing us. Although they were all most probably asleep by now, you could never be too sure.

He then leaned in and his face was just centimeters away from mine. I could feel his hot breath on my face as he whispered "Never." He kissed me and even though I was ticked off at him, I kissed him back. This kiss was different from the other ones. It was slow and gentle, like we had all the time in the world. It wasn't heated, but it still contained that special spark that would ignite every time our lips touched. As he let go of my arms so that he could put his hands on my waist, I began touching his chest. It was hard because of all the muscle he had, but it was also extremely warm. I started running my fingers under his shirt and he smirked at me as he took it off and threw it to the ground. I pulled him closer to me (if that was even possible) and soon enough the passion started to rise. We started kissing each other hungrily when the door opened widely causing the light from the hallway to shine on us.

"Sorry to wake you Annabeth, but do you have any-" Piper's mouth dropped as she stared at us with a shocked expression. When I think about it... I guess a shirtless Percy hovering over me in my bed with tangled sheets doesn't look too good. It also didn't help that our faces were absolutely flushed.

"I-I'm just going to ask Thalia" Piper then quickly exited the room while closing the door completely shut.

Percy and I began laughing hysterically after she left. "Did you see the look on her face?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Percy was now holding his stomach from laughing so hard "She totally thinks that we were going to actually do it!" Once we calmed down, he laid beside me and started playing with my curls.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked in a hushed tone.

He sighed "I was hoping that you would forget I ever mentioned that."

I grabbed his hand in mine "Come on, you can tell me anything."

"I know" he kissed the top of my hand before he took a deep breath and began telling me his story "Two years ago, I had a girlfriend." I stiffened a bit at the thought of Percy being with anyone else besides me, but I kind of figured that he would have had at least one person before me.

"We had been dating for a year and a half when on my birthday, I caught her making out with my best friend in my room." I was not only shocked by what Percy had told me, I was infuriated. How could they do that to him?! Percy is one of the greatest people I have ever met and I can't imagine anyone ever betraying and hurting him that badly. Especially the two people he thought he could trust the most.

"I-I'm so sorry Percy" I was at a loss for word, which rarely ever happens to me.

He smiled while running his fingers through my hair "Don't be. If that didn't happen then I would have never met you."

"Do they still live here?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"_He _still does," Percy replied distastefully "but she moved away before the school year started." He sighed before he continued "The reason I might have seemed a little bit off before is because she came back." I stared at him wide eyed "After I dropped you off yesterday, I entered my house and heard someone in the kitchen. When I get there, all I see is her pouring herself a glass of orange juice. Apparently my Mom let her in, but I can't blame her since I never told her that she cheated on me. Anyways I stood there as stiff as a board as she started rambling about her Dad getting a job here, her finishing high school, and that she was sorry for what happened."

He paused for a moment which allowed me to let all this information sink in, but my heart literally stopped when he said "She asked me to get back together with her."

"What did you say?" I suddenly wanted to swallow the words back in my mouth when I saw how hurt he looked when I asked him that.

"What did you think I said Annabeth?!" he exclaimed while sitting up. I immediately missed the warmth of his body next to mine. "Of course I said no! She's absolutely nothing to me now! You're the girl that I lo-like and that's how it's going to stay!"

I tried to not focus too much on his slip up "Look, I'm sorry alright! I'm pretty sure that it would make any girl a little nervous if her boyfriend's ex just happens to show up out of the blue and ask him to take her back!"

His face softened "I'm sorry Annabeth. You had every right to ask that... I guess I'm still ticked off that she just showed up at my house without any warning." He sighed as I gave him a long hug "What would I do without you?"

"Well, not much since I'm basically your entire world" I replied while giving him a large smirk.

"Uhuh," he said sarcastically "keep thinking that Wise Girl" He then checked the clock on my nightstand. "It's getting late, I should be getting home now."

I stopped him before he could untangle himself from the sheets and I could feel my face burning up as I asked "Could you, umm, stay with me for a while? At least until I fall asleep?"

He winked at me "You just can't keep away from me can you?" I punched his arm as he laughed "I'm just kidding Wise Girl, of course I'll stay with you."

I smiled as he laid down and wrapped the covers overtop of us. I closed my eyes as he softly ran his fingers through my hair and kissed the top of my head.

"Thank you Percy" I mumbled sleepily as I placed myself on his chest.

"For what?"

"For trusting me."

"Well thank you for being trustworthy. Goodnight Annabeth." And with that said, I fell into a deep sleep to the sound of Percy's perfect heartbeat.

**~Page Break~**

I woke up to the sound of someone humming beside me. I opened my eyes to see that Percy was staring at me intently while humming a tune that I didn't know.

He smiled while giving me a light kiss "Good morning"

I smiled back "Not that I don't enjoy waking up to you, but I thought you left last night."

He shrugged "Eh, your room is more comfortable. Plus I left my Mom a text message saying that I had to leave the house early so that she wouldn't worry."

"Well in that case" I started kissing him and I could feel the smirk spreading across his face as I did. I suddenly remembered something so I pulled back "Maybe we should lock the door first. I don't want a repeat of last night."

He grinned proudly "Already did."

"Well look at you Seaweed Brain" I teased "You're actually planning ahead for once. I'm impressed."

"You're rubbing off on me" he then pulled me in and we started kissing all over again. I can honestly say that I am never going to get tired of doing this.

"Annabeth!" Thalia yelled while knocking on the door "Get up! We were all going to go surfing today remember?"

I reluctantly pulled away from Percy's lips as I yelled back "Ok, I'll be ready in a minute."

I looked back at Percy to see him pouting "Can't I come?"

I shook my head "Sorry, it's a girls day. No boys allowed."

"I'm no boy" he stated as if it was a well known fact "I'm a man!" He stood up and began flexing his muscles while standing in these strange poses. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Sure you are," I replied sarcastically "now leave before I get Thalia in here to kick you out."

"Not before you give me a goodbye kiss" he then wrapped his arms around my waist and began spinning me in circles.

I giggled (just so you know, I _NEVER _giggle) "Alright Percy! Now put me down!" I gave him a kiss and watched as he made his way out onto the balcony and down the ladder, but not before giving me another one of his lopsided smirks.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the park." He winked "Don't miss me too much."

I rolled my eyes "Don't count on it Seaweed Brain." And with that, he was gone.

***The Next Day - Wednesday - At the Park***

'Hey Calypso! You made it!" I exclaimed as she walked towards Thalia, Piper, and I.

"Yeah I wouldn't miss it!" she then looked at Thalia and Piper a held out her hand "It's nice to meet you, I'm Calypso by the way." They each shook her hand and introduced themselves.

"I can't stay and chat for long" Calypso said while gesturing to the stage "I'm going to perform soon."

Thalia raised her eyebrow "Oh, you're in a band?"

"No, they said that I could perform as a solo artist if I wanted to." Calypso explained "I'm just not eligible to win the grand prize." The audience chooses the winner of the competition. If you were lucky enough to get the most applause, then you win a thousand dollar gift card at the 'Apollo Acoustics Music Store'.

"That's cool!" Piper chimed in "What are you going to sing?"

"An original song that I wrote for someone" Calypso replied as her cheeks started turning pink "I heard he was coming, so I thought it would be a good way to tell him how I feel."

"That's very courageous of you" I said while giving her a smile "I'm sure he's going to love it."

She smiled back "I hope so." She was then called to the stage, so she excused herself and left.

After a few minutes, I spotted Percy and his friends in the large crowd. I waved to him so that he could notice me and once he did, he jogged over to me.

He greeted me with a kiss "Hey beautiful. You excited to hear the boys play?"

"You bet" I replied while grinning up at him "You're looking at their number one fan. I'll be screaming my head off for them."

He laughed "Not as much as I will-" he was cut short by Calypso's voice booming through the park.

"Hello everyone!" she exclaimed happily "My name is Calypso Greene and I'll be singing an original song. It's geared towards a special someone so I hope you enjoy it!" As she began playing I noticed that Percy's face began to pale and his muscles where tightening.

"Come on Annabeth, let's go get something to eat at one of the stands" he tried pulling me away, but I stood my ground.

"Wait, I want to hear my friend sing."

He looked at me with wide eyes "She's your what?" I didn't have time to explain since Calypso began singing.

_Don't know much about your life_  
_Don't know much about your world but_  
_Don't wanna be alone tonight_  
_On this planet they call Earth_

_You don't know about my past and_  
_I don't have a future figured out_  
_And maybe this is goin' too fast_  
_And maybe it's not meant to last_

Calypso was incredible! If this competition hadn't been just for bands, she would have won hands down.

_But what do you say to takin' chances?_  
_What do you say to jumpin' off the edge?_  
_Never knowin' if there's solid ground below_  
_Or a hand to hold or hell to pay_  
_What do you say? What do you say?_

_I just wanna start again_  
_And maybe you could show me how to try_  
_Maybe you could take me in_  
_Somewhere underneath your skin_

I noticed that she was looking at Percy the whole time. It seemed as if she was singing the song to him, but that couldn't be... right? I looked back at Percy and saw that he was looking at her with an angry expression.

_What do you say to takin' chances?_  
_What do you say to jumpin' off the edge?_  
_Never knowin' if there's solid ground below_  
_Or a hand to hold or hell to pay_  
_What do you say? What do you say?_

_Hey now, hey, my heart is beatin' down_  
_But I'm always comin' back for more, yeah_  
_There's nothin' like love to pull you up_  
_When you're lyin' down on the floor, babe_

_So talk to me, talk to me like lovers do_  
_Yeah, walk with me, walk with me like lovers do_  
_Like lovers do_

She then jumped off the stage (it wasn't very high) and started walking towards us. She was definitely singing this song to Percy! Suddenly, I wished that I took him up on his offer to leave because I could already feel the anger boiling up inside of me.

_What to you say to takin' chances?_  
_What do you say to jumpin' off the edge?_  
_Never knowin' if there's solid ground below_  
_Or a hand to hold or hell to pay_  
_What do you say? What do you say?_

_Don't know much about your life_  
_And I don't know much about your world_

As she finished the crowd roared with hoots and hollers, but she didn't seem to notice. She tried to take a step closer to Percy who seemed petrified, but I stood in her way. She has absolutely NO RIGHT to sing to him like that! Who the hell does she think she is?!

She seemed surprised when I stood in-between them, but I didn't care. No one sings to my boyfriend like that and gets away with it. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I yelled.

She was in shock by my outburst, but she quickly composed herself "I was singing to my ex-boyfriend. Now would you mind stepping aside?" she said it a little harshly which only got me angrier.

_Wait!... Did she say ex-boyfriend?! So that means..._

I looked back at Percy with wide eyes and he nodded with a sad look on his face. I felt like I was going to explode from anger! This was the bitch that cheated on him! And to think... I was going to be FRIENDS with her! Well, she is not taking him away from me! Not without a fight.

I turned back at Calypso and gave her a death stare "You see, the key word there is EX. He's my boyfriend now." I could sense a crowd forming around us as Calypso looked at me like she was ready to send fifty tigers to eat me alive.

"Yeah right," she replied distastefully "like he could ever like a dumb blonde."

I snapped. No one, and I mean NO ONE, calls me dumb! I slapped her across the face so hard, that you could see the red mark my hand left on her tanned skin.

The whole crowd went silent as Calypso looked back at me and said "You bitch." The next thing I knew, she pounced on me and I landed hard on the floor.

This was not going to end well...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well... that escalated quickly! **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you want to know the song that Calypso sings it's 'Taking Chances' by Celine Dion.**

**Hopefully, I can write the next chapter tomorrow. I am so determined, so stay tuned!**

**I love you all! Thank you for sticking with my story and giving me your support! :) Remember to review/comment! Bye for now! **


	16. A Cat Fight, A Thief, & A Wedding

**Ok guys, so this is the last chapter I'm posting before I leave on vacation for a week :) I hope you enjoy it, and I just wanted to remind everyone that Percy's birthday is in 7 days! :D I won't be here to celebrate with you guys since I'm driving back home on the same day :( BUT... I will be making a blue birthday cake for him the day after with my best friend! :) I kind of dragged her into it, but whatever! It's going to taste amazing!... and I'm completely serious about it being blue. Anyways, ON WITH THE STORY!**

**Disclaimer: Even though he is not mine, I want to say a happy early birthday to the beautiful Perseus Jackson! Thank the gods that Rick created you! **

* * *

**Percy POV**

Shocked, stunned, and wide eyed. That's basically how I looked like right now as I tried to comprehend what was going on in front of me. Let's do a recap shall we?

1. Calypso's singing a song to me in front of my girlfriend

2. Annabeth finds out that Calypso was the one who cheated on me

3. Some foul words were exchanged and now they're fighting... OVER ME!

Normally, any guy would kill to be in the situation I'm in. Here are two beautiful girls willing to beat the crap out of each other just to be with me. I'm not that type of guy though. I lo-, ahem sorry, like Annabeth and I would much rather be with her over Calypso any day. So as much as I'd like to see Annabeth beat the shit out of Calypso, I knew I had to stop it.

Annabeth had just hit the floor pretty hard as Calypso pounced on top of her. This seemed to only anger Annabeth even more and she was able to knee Calypso in the gut before Calypso could swing a punch at her. The large crowd that had formed around them started cheering them on. Some were chanting Annabeth's name while others were chanting Calypso's. I caught the faces of Thalia and Piper in the crowd. Piper looked shocked and disappointed, like how a mother would react, while Thalia was yelling for Annabeth to punch Calypso in the face. If Piper hadn't held her back, Thalia would have joined the fight alongside Annabeth.

One person that I hadn't suspected to be here was Luke. He was in the front of the crowd staring at the girls who were in the middle of pulling each other's hair. He had a stunned look on his face... Probably because he didn't know that Calypso had come back on the island. His face soon changed from stunned to hurt. What the heck? What would he feel hurt about? It's not like he's the one getting scratched by Calypso's manicured nails- OH CRAP! I forgot that I had wanted to break up the fight! Stupid ADHD...

I tried to pull Annabeth off of Calypso, but she pushed me away. As I approached them again, Annabeth was lucky enough to dodge one of Calypso's fists while I on the other hand... was not as fortunate. She hit me square in the nose and I recoiled in pain. Annabeth looked back at me with a worried expression, but soon turned back to Calypso with new found anger and hit her across the face.

Calypso backed down as Annabeth yelled at her "You just punched Percy in the face! No one hits my boyfriend and gets away with it!" Annabeth was about to hit her again when, surprisingly, Luke stopped her.

"Annabeth," he said calmly "stop. She isn't worth the trouble. Go see if Percy's alright." I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Luke had gotten Annabeth to stop fighting while the only thing I did was get a huge bruise on my nose. I was also a bit confused though. Why would Luke even care about my well being? We've been enemies for years now.

Annabeth came to me with a bag of ice that Piper had given her "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," I replied as I winced a little from the cold touch "I'll be fine. It's just a bruise."

I looked back at Calypso, but she was already fleeing the scene with tears streaming down her cheeks. I kind of felt bad for her for a second... but then I remembered what she's done and I didn't care anymore. I looked at Annabeth and was surprised to see that she only had a couple of scratches on her arms.

"I'm impressed that you've got very few battle scars."

She shrugged while giving a small smile "She wasn't much of a fighter. I've fought worse people in New York."

I gave her a hug and smiled to myself as I said "Who knew you could be so jealous Wise Girl?"

That earned me a slap on the arm "Hey! I am not jealous! She provoked me when she called me dumb! And then she started singing that song to you and I just wanted to-"

I cut off her rant with a kiss "I'm only joking Annabeth. And besides, you're the only girl I want to be with."

"Promise?" she asked while resting her forehead against mine.

"Cross my heart." I was about to kiss her again when Nico came rushing in from behind us.

"Percy!" he yelled "We have a problem! The band needs you! Now!"

I groaned loudly as I looked back at Annabeth "I have to go help these idiots. I'll be back as soon as I can." She nodded in response and kissed me on the cheek. Before I left, I looked at her again and said "And by the way, you're kind of hot when you're angry." I winked at her which only made her blush even more. I watched as she walked away mumbling "Stupid Seaweed Brain" to herself.

"Come on lover boy!" Nico complained "We aint got all day!" I followed him backstage to find Jason and Leo sulking in a corner with their instruments.

"What's up with you guys?" I asked "I thought you guys were extremely pumped to perform today."

"We were" Jason began "That is, until Luke and his band 'The Titans'-"

"THEY STOLE OUR SONG!" Leo interrupted clearly frustrated.

"What?!" I looked at the stage to see Luke and his band mates, Chris Rodriguez and that guy Ethan from the restaurant, starting to play the song 'This is War' which originally belonged to Nico, Jason, and Leo. "How did they steal the song?"

"I don't know," Nico responded "but if we don't think of a new song soon then we'll have to forfeit. Oh and I don't mean to add any more pressure, but we're up next."

"We don't have any other songs!" Jason exclaimed "The only other songs we know were from when Percy was in the band!" They suddenly all looked at each other and then turned to me with large grins on their faces.

"Oh no" I said while backing away slowly "I know what you're thinking and there's no way I'm going to do it."

"Oh come on Perce!" Leo complained "The songs were written for four people... We. Need. You." As he specified every word both Nico and Jason were looking at me with pleading eyes.

"If you don't play with us," Nico explained "we'll lose the chance of getting one thousand dollars for the music store! Do you know what we can buy with that money?!"

"Alright!" I exclaimed "I'll do it!" They all beamed from excitement while I felt like throwing up. Singing in front of a few friends is one thing, but singing in front of hundreds of people made me want to crawl in a hole and die. Even when I liked performing I never played for a crowd this large!

"Great!" Jason said happily "Now what song should we play?" As the guys began bickering about which song to choose, I looked out at the audience from behind the curtain. I noticed that a large majority of them were girls and an idea instantly came into my head.

"Let's play 'Come Down With Love'" I said while interrupting their debate. "If you want to win this thing, you have to play what the audience wants to hear. A huge amount of the crowd are girls and I know for a fact that girls like love songs." They looked at me skeptically "Trust me! They will like it a hundred times better than the rock song that Luke stole."

The stage manager walked over to us "'Halfblood Heroes', you're on in fifteen seconds."

"Alright!" Leo exclaimed "We'll do the song, but only if you sing lead Percy." I glared at him, but eventually agreed.

As Luke and his band came off the stage, the crowd roared. I could already tell from the audience's reaction that 'The Titans' were in the lead. The guys and I went onstage to get ourselves set up, but before I could join them, Luke purposely crashed into my shoulder as he walked passed.

"Don't choke" he growled.

I scoffed "I can sing circles around you any day Luke. Just watch and learn." I went to grab a green electric guitar when Leo stopped me.

"Don't use an amateur's guitar Perce. Here, this one belongs to a professional" I stared wide eyed as Leo handed me Festus; his most prized possession. Next to his toolbox of course.

"Wow Leo, I-I don't know what to say."

He shrugged while showing his elfish grin "It's no big deal Percy. Now let's show these people how a real band rocks!" I smiled as I looked at Jason and Nico. They nodded signaling me that they're ready. I took a deep breath and stepped to the mic and faced the crowd. I spotted Annabeth instantly. Her blonde hair shined in the sun as she looked at me with a stunned expression.

"Hey so we're the 'Halfblood Heroes' and we're going to be playing an old song that we wrote called 'Come Down With Love'. Hope you guys like it." Nico counted us down on the drums as Jason started playing his bass with Leo and I joining in on guitar not long after. The crowd immediately started dancing to the tune and I felt the rush that I had lost coming back to me as I opened my mouth to sing the first line.

('Come Down With Love' by Allstar Weekend - Percy = _italics, _Leo = **bold, **Jason = underline, Nico = print, All together = **_everything,_**)

_I've been stopping at green lights_  
_Got lost on my way home, I'm sleep walking at night_  
**I put my shirt on inside out**  
**Umbrella in the sun, my head up in the clouds**

_My friends just laugh at me_  
_There's only one thing it could be_

**_I've come down with love,_****_got bit by the bug_**  
_I'm sick and I feel confused, I know it's true_  
**_I've come down with love, I can't get enough_**  
_I won't break this fever, I need her, I'm bit by the bug_

**_I've come down with love_**(Percy & Leo)  
I've_ come down with love _(Percy and Jason)

At this point, the audience was going nuts so I praised myself for picking this song. I grinned as I noticed Annabeth screaming and dancing to the music. I kept my eyes locked with hers as I jumped off the stage and started walking towards her.

_You've got me trippin' on my feet_  
_My mind starts racing and my heart forgets to beat_  
When you start to walk my way  
I forget where I am, can't find the words to say

My friends just laugh at me  
There's no cure for this disease

**_I've come down with love, got bit by the bug_**  
_I'm sick and I feel confused, I know it's true_  
**_I've come down with love, I can't get enough_**  
_I won't break this fever, I need her, I'm bit by the bug_

**I've come down with love **(Nico & Leo)  
I've come down with love (Nico & Jason)

I was now standing in front of a grinning and blushing Annabeth. She laughed as I winked and smiled at her while the crowd roared as I continued the song.

_Don't need a shot, don't need a doctor_  
_They can't make me okay, it's up to you_  
_Give me an answer because I'm trying just to see you_  
_Only wanna feel you, dying just to hear you say_

I've come down with love, got bit by the bug  
I'm sick and I feel confused, I know it's true  
**_I've come down with love, got bit by the bug_**  
_I'm sick and I feel confused, I know it's true_

I gave Annabeth one last smile as I ran back to the stage. Everyone was cheering, dancing, and singing along which caused Leo to jump off the stage and start crowd surfing. For someone to crowd surf while playing the guitar and singing at the same time, took major skill. Leo was right, he was a professional.

**_I've come down with love, I can't get enough_**  
_I'm sick and I feel confused, I know it's true_  
**_I've come down with love, got bit by the bug_**  
_I won't break this fever, I need her, I'm bit by the bug_

_I've come down with love_  
**I've come down with love**  
I've come down with love  
I've come down with love

**_We've come down with love_**

I couldn't even hear myself think from how loud the audience was cheering. They began chanting 'Halfblood Heroes' so loudly that I thought my ears would start bleeding! The announcer came with his own mic and did his best to make the crowd quieter.

"Well," he began cheerfully "by the reaction of the crowd the winner is clearly obvious. The band that has won the thousand dollars to 'Apollo Acoustics' is... THE HALFBLOOD HEROES!" The guys and I did a group hug as we each held onto the large check. Everyone went wild and I couldn't resist the urge to look at Luke's scowling face. I gave him a large smirk as he stormed away with his band mates. Annabeth, Piper, and Thalia came running onstage to greet us. They jumped onto Jason, Nico, and I giving us the biggest bear hugs of all time. They each congratulated us while giving us a kiss.

"Hey!" Leo complained "I'm in the band too! Don't I deserve a kiss?!" Sure enough, a pretty looking girl tapped Leo's shoulder. He turned around stunned and stared at her wide eyed as she giggled and kissed him full on the mouth. She winked at him and began skipping away. Leo looked back at us and grinned goofily "I'll see you guys later." We all laughed as he ran after her desperately.

"So Annabeth," I whispered while looking into her incredible grey eyes "how would you like to be my date for my Mom's wedding next week?"

Annabeth looked surprised "They're getting married so soon?"

"Yeah, they're only having a few friends attend the ceremony, so they said I could invite whoever I wanted. I guess it's also one of the perks for being the maid of honour."

She began laughing loudly "You're the maid of honour?!"

I cringed. _Maybe you shouldn't have said that. _Once she calmed down she asked "Can I bring Thalia and Piper along?"

"Bring whoever you want Wise Girl," I grinned mischievously "as long as I get to see you in a dress." She then rolled her eyes and slapped my arm playfully.

Before we left, the guys begged me to get back in the band. The only reason I had left was because of Calypso and since I'm dating Annabeth now, I happily agreed. Jason and Nico high-fived each other as Annabeth and I started heading home. We walked hand in hand and for some reason I started feeling something in the pit of my stomach. No, I wasn't sick or anything. Whenever I thought about her, my stomach felt like it was doing somersaults and my head started feeling dizzy. I don't know what it was, but it only got worse the more time I spent with her. You wanna know the strange part? I liked it.

***Wedding Day***

I watched as my Mom started walking down the aisle with Chiron by her side. Chiron is like a grandfather to me and he's known my Mom ever since she was a kid, so he was more than happy when she asked him to give her away. When my Mom looked at Paul, it seemed as if her love for him was radiating all around her. She looked young, happy, excited, beautiful, and full of life. As I looked over at Paul, he seemed to be radiating the same love towards her. I could only wish that someday, I could look at someone like that. I mean, I know I like Annabeth. Well, I can honestly say that it's a lot more than like... but love? I don't know if I love her. The only person I've ever loved in my life is my Mom. Please don't tell Leo that...

As my Mom reached the alter, she hugged Chiron and took Paul's hand so that she can stand by his side. She gave me a warm smile before looking at the priest and following his instructions. They each slipped a ring on each other's fingers and began saying their vows. There was a lot of cheesy romantic lines put in there and I only hoped that Annabeth and my wedding wouldn't be this- I MEAN... IF we get married. Which will only happen if we stay together for like seven more years or something. Not that I'm planning it or anything... I just- You know what, let's get back to the wedding that's happening right now.

They each said 'I do' and the priest smiled as he said the famous line "You may now kiss the bride." Paul kissed my Mom without any hesitation which only made me cringe and look away. Just because I had accepted Paul into the family, doesn't mean I enjoy seeing him kiss my Mom in front of me.

The guests clapped as the priest said "Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Blofis!" The music started playing as they walked down the aisle. My Mom's simple, yet beautiful, white dress blew in the ocean breeze as they headed to the reception area. The reception was a few feet away from the alter since they both wanted to have the ceremony and the party at the beach. As I walked behind the crowd of guest, I felt a slight tap on my shoulder.

"Hey Seaweed Brain, you made a cute maid of honour." I turned around to face Annabeth with a remark ready, but I instantly forgot it. Embarrassingly enough, my jaw dropped to the floor once I laid eyes on her.

"I-I, uhh, you" _SNAP OUT OF IT YOU IDIOT! _"YOU LOOK AMAZING!" I yelled it out of nervousness which only made my face turn tomato red. Add that to my list of embarrassing moments.

She smiled sheepishly as she looked at her dress "Thanks. It belonged to my Mom." She wore a long light blue dress that was a bit tighter at the top and loose at the bottom. It draped off her shoulder so perfectly that it looked like it was made specifically for her. The silver sequins not only brightened the outfit, but they also brought out Annabeth's eyes. She wore her hair up in a fancy way that I'm not sure how to explain. But I can tell you that she had a few sparkly clips in her hair and her curls hung loosely at the back of her head. I couldn't help but notice the owl earrings she wore. They fit her perfectly since they looked simple, yet beautiful, at the same time.

The music had already started playing and couples were beginning to pile onto the dance floor. I did my best to keep my nerves down as I looked over at Annabeth and held my hand out to her "Shall we?" She smiled widely which allowed me to see her perfect smile. Man, everything about Annabeth is perfect.

"We shall" she replied while taking a hold of my hand. We danced for what seemed to be a time span of five minutes, but was more realistically two hours. I just couldn't let her go. Having her close to me was the best feeling in the entire world. It was even better than my Mom's cookies... and that's saying a lot!

The DJ soon announced "Alright everyone it's now eleven and you know what that means... KARAOKE!" It figures that my parents (that sounded weird to say) would incorporate karaoke into the reception. Their first date was at a restaurant that had karaoke and they've been obsessed about it ever since. My Mom basically pushed me onto the stage to sing and she didn't even let me choose the song! She picked this sappy song about how much a son loves his mother... She probably planned the whole thing. What I didn't expect was for my Mom to ask Annabeth to sing. Annabeth shook her head in protest, but my Mom pulled out the puppy dog eyes. Annabeth sighed as she looked through the book for a song that she knew. Once she found one she shyly got onstage and began speaking into the mic.

"Hi my name's Annabeth Chase and I'll be singing 'I'd Lie' by Taylor Swift." The music started playing and the couples began swaying to the tune. She ignored all of them as she sang and held her gaze with mine.

_I don't think that passenger seat_  
_Has ever looked this good to me_  
_He tells me about his night_  
_And I count the colors in his eyes_

_He'll never fall in love he swears_  
_As he runs his fingers through his hair_  
_I'm laughing 'cause I hope he's wrong_  
_And I don't think it ever crossed his mind_  
_He tells a joke I fake a smile_  
_That I know all his favorite songs and_

_I could tell you his favorite colors green_  
_He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth_  
_His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes_  
_And if you ask me if I love him, I'd lie_

_He looks around the room_  
_Innocently overlooks the truth_  
_Shouldn't a light go on?_  
_Doesn't he know I've had him memorized for so long?_

_He sees everything black and white_  
_Never let nobody see him cry_  
_I don't let nobody see me wishing he was mine_

_I could tell you his favorite colors green_  
_He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth_  
_His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes_  
_And if you ask me if I love him, I'd lie_

_He stands there then walks away_  
_My God, if I could only say_  
_I'm holding every breath for you_  
_He'd never tell you but he can play guitar_  
_I think he can see through everything but my heart_  
_First thought when I wake up is, "My god, he's beautiful"_  
_So I put on my make-up and pray for a miracle_

_Yes, I could tell you his favorite colors green_  
_He loves to argue oh and it kills me_  
_His sisters beautiful he has his father's eyes_  
_And if you asked me if I love him_  
_If you ask me if I love him, I'd lie_

I was grinning at her throughout the entire song. Not only did she sound absolutely incredible, but I knew that the song was for me. Some of the lyrics sounded like it was written about me. I do have my father's eyes, I play guitar, one of my favourite colours is green, and no one has ever seen me cry... I've made sure of it. Although not everything in the song is true. My birthday is actually on the eighteenth not seventeenth, I don't have a sister, and- Wait. I looked back at Annabeth only to see her looking down avoiding my gaze as everyone clapped for her. Did she just indirectly say that she loved me?

_Well, it kind of wasn't so indirect since it's basically what the song is about _said the annoying part of my brain. I ignored it.

Holy Hades... She just said that she loved me through song! What do I say back?

_Oh I don't know..._ replied the annoying voice again_ Maybe 'I love you too'? _

_Shut up! _I yelled back _This is all new to me and I'm freaking out!_

_Oh come on, this isn't a new feeling at all! You've been in love with this girl for days now and you just won't admit it!_

I guess you could say I was at war with myself because one part of me was saying that I wasn't in love with her, while the other was saying that I was. I didn't have much time to think about it because soon enough, Annabeth came up to me with a dazzling smile on her face.

"Hey Percy!" she then looked down slightly "Did you, umm, like my song?"

"Yeah I did. You were amazing."

Her eyes lit up instantly "Really?! Oh good because I was really nervous up there and I wasn't really sure if I picked the right song, or if you'd understand what I was trying to signal to yo-"

"Annabeth," I interrupted "I understood what you were trying to tell me."

She looked at me expectantly "And?"

I sighed. I wanted more than anything in the world to tell her right then and there that I loved her. But when I looked into her eyes, I just couldn't get the words out of my mouth. It was like they were there, but they were glued to my tongue. Instead of telling her how I felt, I just began stammering.

"I-I, well... umm, I guess- I mean... I-I don't"

She looked completely hurt. She stared at me like I had just grabbed her heart and stomped on it until it shattered into a million pieces. Her eyes were on verge of tears and I just couldn't help but feeling like the biggest asshole on the face of the earth. Why didn't I just tell her I loved her?! Then none of this would be happening right now!

"Oh gods," she said quietly while trying to discreetly wipe a tear away from her eye "you don't feel the same way." She took a deep breath as she took a step away from me "Look Percy," her voice was shaky "We've been together for almost a month now and I need to know right now if our relationship is important to you... or if you consider it to be a summer fling."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Of course it's important to me! It's more important to me than anything in the world!

I tried to move closer to her, but she would just step farther away from me "Annabeth, it's more than just a summer fling. I swear our relationship means more to me than you know."

"I don't know if you really mean that Percy because you can't even talk to me about your feelings. Look, I'm not trying to pressure you into saying that you love me, but I need you to at least be open with me as I have been with you. I love you Percy Jackson and this feeling isn't going away any time soon."

She said it. She actually said it! How come she could say it so easily and when I try I sound like a blubbering whale?! Maybe my head is filled with Seaweed...

She looked at me like she was expecting me to say something, but nothing came out. She sighed "I'll give you some time to think about." She started walking towards her house when she suddenly stopped and turned to face me "I'll be waiting Percy... but I won't wait forever. I'm not that type of girl."

What have I done? How could I just let her go like that?! How can someone ruin a relationship in a matter of minutes without saying a damn word?! I don't understand how it's so hard for me to speak, but when I sing- Wait that's it! I'll sing my feelings for her just like she tried doing to me! I'll write her a song explaining everything! She'll love it and then we can go back to being the way we used to be.

"AHHHH!" *crash*

But first... I have to go help Leo get out of the large blue vanilla flavoured cake.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Alright guys I know I kind of left it on a sour note, but believe me when I say that I hadn't planned to end it that way! I already have the next two chapters figured out so you'll be getting them sometime next week. I'm heading off to my trip late at night so I'll be here for a few hours if you have any questions.**

**I also have some news. I just thought of an idea for another story. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this one, but I just wanted to tell you guys about it. I've had some ideas for it already and I'll give you guys the summary for it.**

**Percy Jackson lives in a poor neighborhood with his best friends Thalia and Nico, where absolutely nothing exciting ever happens. All he's ever wanted was to have a little adventure and his wish is finally granted when he catches the new loner girl Annabeth Chase doing things that no human being should be capable of doing. Was her sudden arrival at Goode High School a coincidence? Or did she come here for other matters that will change Percy, Thalia, and Nico's life forever? **

**I can't give too much away, but tell me your thoughts/ideas of it, as well as for the chapter that I have just written. I appreciate all of your support and I am ecstatic to report that 'An Unforgettable Summer' now has over 20,000 views! I would have never thought that would happen! Thank you all so much! I love you all and I'll talk to you in a week! :) **


	17. True Colours

**Hey guys! I'm so incredibly sorry for not updating in so long! I know I should have updated sooner, but to be completely honest with you I was kind of lazy. Plus I started my second story 'Secret Heroes' if you want to go check it out. Anyways, I'm back now and I'm ready to continue! **

**By the way, there will be some changes in POV because I want you guys to know what's going on in both Annabeth and Percy's heads. I don't usually do this, but I thought that it was important.**

**I would like to thank SLEEP EAT FANFICTION for inspiring me on this chapter. I am eternally in your debt! **

**Disclaimer: Gods I will always hate this, but I do not own Perseus Jackson!**

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**Annabeth POV**

It's been three days since I last talked to Percy and I'm getting worried. I let down all my barriers and walls and told him that I love him. Now, he has absolute control over me. He can either say it back (which I REALLY hope he does), or he can completely crush my heart by refusing my feelings for him.

I really hate this. I hate relationships. I hate not being in control. I hate letting my guard down. I hate being so insecure. I hate being vulnerable. I hate that it's been three days and he hasn't said a word. I hate not hearing his voice. I hate not knowing. I hate that I fell in love with him in such a short amount of time. I hate that when I look into his eyes I feel like I'm melting into the sea. I hate that when he hugs me, I feel so protected. I hate that he can make me blush instantly with his smile. I hate that when he kisses me, the world just stops and my heart starts beating a million miles per hour. I hate that I love when he calls me Wise Girl. I hate that I love everything about him, even his stupid seaweed filled brain. I _hate_ that I _love _him.

Ugh! I just want to be with him again! I hate not being around him! If I had known he'd get so freaked out by this, I would have never said it. I miss him and I want him back. Despite all of our differences, I feel like we belong together. That's it! I'm done with waiting! I'm going to march up to him and ask him directly if he either loves me... or not. I'm praying to all the Gods that he does.

It was around five thirty in the afternoon when I decided this. Everyone had gone out so I was alone in the large house. I quickly put my hair up and got dressed in some white shorts and a blue t-shirt. I opened my front door surprised to find Luke about to ring my doorbell. He jumped a little and his face turned pink from embarrassment.

"Luke?" I ask clearly confused "What are you doing here?"

He started scratching the back of his head "Uh well, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today." I gave him a strange look so he quickly added "As friends." I sighed and checked my watch. Percy was working at his Mom's shop and won't be home till later, I guess I could hang with Luke for a while.

"Alright" he looked surprised that I had agreed, but quickly put on a large grin.

"Cool, how about we order some pizza and eat on the beach? My treat." My stomach began making a large grumbling noise that made Luke laugh. Luke always had this serious demeanor about him, but when he laughed, it was like he was letting loose and showing the real him. I liked his laugh, but it didn't sound as melodious as Percy's.

Once the pizza arrived, we grabbed a large blanket and set it down near the water for us to sit on. To tell you the truth, I was kind of uncomfortable with the set up. It felt like we were on a date, even though Luke specifically said we were hanging out as friends. Either way, I shrugged my insecurity away and tried to enjoy myself.

We talked about a lot of things. My life back in New York, school, and our hobbies. Luke was pretty easy to talk to, but I couldn't help but let my mind wander to Percy. I guess Luke noticed because soon he was shaking my shoulder.

"Annabeth? You ok?"

I gave him a small smile "Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinking."

He nodded in understanding "So... How are things with you and Percy?" His voice lowered when he said his name. I wonder what happened between these two. It must have been pretty bad for them to hate each other so much.

"It's fine" I lied.

He rolled his eyes "Yeah right Annie" I cringed at the name "If things were fine, you wouldn't be sulking right now."

"I'm sulking?"

"Yeah, you are. I might not have known you for a long time, but I can tell when someone is feeling shitty." He then looked at me with a serious expression "He didn't hurt you did he? Because if he did, so help me God I will go-"

"No!" I exclaimed "He didn't hurt me! He's just... Confused."

Luke raised his eyebrow "Confused? In what way."

"His feelings for me I guess." He gave me a look encouraging me to say more so I took a deep breath and let it all out "I told him I loved him at his Mom's wedding a few days ago... And he didn't say it back. I figured he was just freaked out by it, so I told him I'd let him think about it, but that I wouldn't wait forever. I haven't talked to him since then and I'm worried that he doesn't feel the same way. I mean, I know he likes me, but I'm not sure if he loves me like I love him." Luke was silent the whole time while staring at me intently. Once I finished my rant, his blue eyes began to flare with anger.

"That idiot never knows how lucky he's got it. You shouldn't waste your time on him Annabeth, he isn't worth it." I was taken aback by the darkness in his tone.

"Luke... What happened between you two?"

Luke shook his head and stared off into the ocean. His anger turned to sadness and guilt as he said "Selfishness." By the look on his face, I could tell he didn't want to talk about it anymore so we sat in silence for a while.

Luke broke the silence saying "Hey, let's go swim!"

I looked down at my clothing and then up at him "Does it look like I have my swim suit on?"

He just laughed at my sarcasm and said "We could always skinny dip." My face turned redder than a tomato as he grinned mischievously.

I began shifting uncomfortably away from him "Umm... I don't think-" I was interrupted by his laughter. His head swung back as he laughed hysterically which only made me scowl.

"I'm only kidding Annie!" he exclaimed in-between breaths "You should have seen the look on your face!" I gave him my best death glare as he started to calm down.

"That was not funny! I thought you were serious!"

"I may not be serious about the skinny dipping, but I am serious about swimming." He got up and looked at me with a mischievous look in his eyes.

I started to back away "Oh no. Don't even think about-" It was too late. Luke picked me up and ran towards the ocean water. He had swung me over his shoulder and I began punching his back yelling for him to put me down.

"Not a chance princess!" he teased "You need to cool down!" Not long after he dunked me into the salty cold water.

I got out of the water to find Luke laughing his ass off. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," I warned. His laughter died down as I narrowed my eyes at him "You are so dead Castellan." He started to run towards the house, but I was able to catch up to him. I tackled him to the ground, but since he was way stronger than I was, he was capable of flipping us over so that he was on top of me.

He pinned my arms down and grinned at me triumphantly "Not so tough now, are you Chase?" I glared at him since he obviously won the battle. Suddenly, I realized how close our faces were. There was only a few inches of distance and Luke's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink once he noticed.

I wanted to get out of there. I didn't like being in this position with Luke and I was starting to feel extremely uneasy under his gaze. He let go of one of my arms and tucked a lose strand of hair away from my face.

"You know," he said softly "you're really beautiful." I could see where this was going. I didn't care that Luke was an attractive, nice, fun guy... I loved Percy. He was the one I wanted to be with, _not_ Luke.

"Thanks, but umm I think we should go back in the house now. It's getting cold." I was trying to give him a hint, but he didn't seem to get it.

"Not from where I'm standing." He started to lean in closer as I tried shifting away from him. What's with this guy?! It's like he forgot that I'm in a relationship!

"I really like you Annabeth" he breathed in my ear. I needed to get out of here, but Luke's weight trapped me underneath him and he had pinned my arms down again. "You're too perfect for Percy. You should be with someone who will actually love you, not just lead you on."

I was not only annoyed, I was angry. How dare he say that Percy's not good enough for me! Percy is one of the most incredible people I have ever met! He's kind, good-hearted, funny, determined, loyal, sweet, and not to mention good looking. If anything, _I'm_ not good enough for him!

"Kiss me." Ok, I was freaking out now. Although I kept protesting and telling him to stop, he just kept leaning in closer. Suddenly, there was a large crash that came not too far away from us. Luke's face jolted up to the sound of the noise and his grip on my arms loosened. I took the opportunity to free myself by pushing him off of me with all my strength and slapping him hard across the face.

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO KISS ME!" I screamed "I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" I started stomping towards my house when Luke ran after me.

"Wait Annabeth! I'm sorry!" I can't believe this guy! What doesn't he understand by 'I never want to see you again'?

He put his hand on my shoulder to stop me, but I quickly turned around and kicked him where it hurts. He doubled over in pain as I continued stomping towards my house. I slammed the front door and sat on the couch. I don't know how long I just sat there staring blankly into space. I could hear Luke pounding against the door begging for me to forgive him and that he didn't mean it, but I ignored him. After about half an hour he gave up trying and left.

I checked the clock on the wall that read 10:03 pm. I've been sitting here for a good two hours and all that I could think about was Percy. How could I have almost let Luke kiss me like that?! If Percy had seen us, he would probably get so angry that he'd instantly break-up with me and never want to see me again. It felt like someone just ripped out my heart when I thought of that. The idea of never seeing Percy again is just unimaginable. My life would never be the same without him.

_I guess you're showing your true colours Annabeth._ said the voice in my head _You're not as strong or independent as you make yourself out to be. You actually need people._

_Wanting companionship doesn't make me any less independent. _I retorted _It just shows that I'm not some emotionless robot._ The voice shut up after that. One point for Annabeth Chase!

There was still no one in the house so I decided to call it a night. I'd have to talk to Percy tomorrow morning because after today's events, I really don't feel like talking to anyone.

I climbed up the stairs with a yawn and was about to open my door when I noticed that my room had the lights turned on. I was alarmed at first, but I soon sighed. Only one person could get into my room without going through the front door.

Although I knew who it was, I felt my face begin to pale. I knew what he was here for and even though I've wanted to know his answer for a long time, I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear it anymore.

He was sitting on my bed strumming his guitar when he looked up at me. He seemed extremely nervous and I couldn't help but mimic the feeling. He got up from the bed and we stared at each other for a few minutes before he spoke.

"Hey Wise Girl" he said softly. Just hearing the sound of my nickname made me want to run my fingers through his messy hair and kiss him like no tomorrow. It took all of my strength to stay where I was.

"Hey Seaweed Brain."

* * *

**Percy POV**

Saying that I was hurt was an understatement. I was absolutely devastated by what I was seeing.

I had come home after a long day of baking in my Mom's shop and decided to work on the song for Annabeth again. I've been trying to find the right lyrics for three days now and I've come up with nothing. Usually, the words would just spill out of me, but every time I tried to write, I end up with the same blank sheet of paper.

I was getting frustrated. I wanted this song to express how I feel about her and to show her that I really do love her. I've spent so long writing it though, and I knew I was running out of time. Annabeth had told me that she wouldn't wait forever. I just hoped that she would wait long enough for me to finish this DAMN SONG! After staring at the blank sheet and strumming worthless chords on my guitar for an hour I began to lose it.

I abruptly got up from my seat and kicked it across the room yelling "WHY AM I SUCH AN IDIOT?! WHY COULDN'T I HAVE JUST SAID IT?!" I eventually calmed down and sat against the wall. I sighed as I quietly said "I love you Annabeth Chase. See? Was that so hard?"

_Maybe you need to clear your head. _suggested the voice in my head _You're probably over thinking and that's why you can't come up with any lyrics._

Hmm. That wasn't such a bad idea. I grabbed my guitar and headed towards the beach. The ocean was always the place where I did my best thinking.

As I walked out onto my deck, I noticed two figures sitting on the beach together. I immediately recognized the smaller figure as Annabeth. Her curly blonde hair was tied up, but it still blew in the soft breeze and her grey eyes shined brighter in the setting sun. I smiled at the sight of her. It's only been a few days and I already missed everything about her.

What was unsettling was that she was sitting beside a guy who I couldn't identify. He got up from the blanket they were sitting on and suddenly picked her up and threw her in the ocean fully dressed. Who does this guy think he is?! The only person that gets to do annoying stuff like that to Annabeth is ME!

I was about to go over there and give this guy a piece of my mind when Annabeth beat me to it. The guy started running towards her house as she chased after him, and that's when I got a good look at his face.

I stood there shocked to see that Luke was the guy hanging out with my girlfriend. I have never wanted to punch him more in my entire life! I watched from the sidelines as Annabeth tackled him to the ground. He then flipped them over so that he was on top. I felt my face burn with anger. This was like Calypso all over again!

_No it's not. _reassured the voice in my head _Annabeth would never do that to you. She's nothing like Calypso. Plus, she told you herself that she loves you. She'd never cheat on you. _

That's when Luke started leaning in to kiss her and Annabeth just laid there and didn't do anything about it. It was as if my heart was smashed into a million pieces. I took a few steps back from the scene when I tripped over my Mom's flower pots. The pots made a large crashing noise and I silently cursed myself for being such a klutz.

I hastily got up and ran back inside my house. I couldn't believe she would do that to me. Annabeth was not the type of person to just hurt someone like that. I refused to believe she was a cheater! Luke may have stolen Calypso from me, but there was no way in hell that he was going to take Annabeth too. She's way too special to me for me to just let her slip out of my grasp like that. If Luke wants a fight for her affection, then he's getting one. I am NOT going to lose Annabeth to that no good, two timing, backstabbing, girlfriend stealing, ASSHOLE! This time, I was going to win.

With new found determination, I locked myself in my room and began scribbling down my emotions. Everything that I was feeling in that moment just poured out of me and in less than two hours, I had finished the song.

I went straight to her balcony and used the ladder to climb all the way up. It was a little tricky carrying my guitar with me, but I managed to make it to the top without falling. Her curtains were opened, so I peeked in and noticed that she wasn't in her room so I just let myself in. I turned on the lights and sat on her bed waiting for her to come. I practiced a little bit since I hadn't run through the whole song yet. Once I was finished writing it, I didn't even bother to check if it sounded alright, I just needed her to hear it.

After about another half hour of waiting, I was sure that I've practiced enough. That's when I heard the door slowly open. She walked in looking as beautiful as ever and I suddenly felt a lump start to form in my throat. I got up from the bed and we stared at each other for a long time. Her calculating eyes bore into me and I got so nervous that I felt my palms sweating. I was at a loss for words so I decided to go with the safest approach.

"Hey Wise Girl" Ugh! I'm such a wuss. How can one girl just turn me into a shriveling pile of mush just from her gaze?! I guess that's love for ya.

"Hey Seaweed Brain." I let out a breath that I had no idea I was holding in. I was just glad she was talking to me.

"What are you doing here?" Her expression looked guarded. Her body was stiff and she had her arms crossed against her chest. I guess I couldn't blame her. She had let down her walls when she opened up to me and I just left her hanging. I learned my lesson though and I was never going to do that to her again. I just had to let her know that.

"I came to tell you something... Well, more like sing you something." I grabbed her hand and led her to the bed. She sat down as I grabbed her desk chair to sit across from her.

"I wrote this song" I began " to express my emotions to you. So... Here goes nothing." I looked at her as I started strumming the first few chords and opened my mouth to sing.

(Loved you first - One Direction (Acoustic Version) ~ See link at the bottom for a cover that I thought fit the story)

_Girl it should be me_  
_Driving to your house_  
_Knocking on your door_  
_Kissing you on the mouth_

_Holding on your hand_  
_Dancing in the dark_  
_'Cause I was the only one_  
_Who loved you from the start_

_But now when I see you with him,_  
_It tears my world apart_

_Because_

_I've been waiting_  
_All this time to finally say it_  
_But now I see your hearts been taken_  
_And nothing could be worse_  
_Baby, I loved you first._  
_Had my chances_  
_Could've been where he is standing_  
_That's what hurts the most,_  
_Girl, I came so close_  
_But now you'll never know_  
_Baby, I loved you first_

She grinned widely from the last line that I sang. I probably could have stopped there, but I wanted to let it all out. She deserved to know what I was feeling.

_Girl it should be me_  
_Calling on your phone_  
_Saying you're the one_  
_And that I'll never let you go_

_I never understood_  
_What love was really like_  
_But I felt it for the first time_  
_Looking in your eyes_

_But now when I see you with him_  
_My whole world falls apart_

_Because_

_I've been waiting_  
_All this time to finally say it_  
_But now I see your hearts been taken_  
_And nothing could be worse_  
_Baby, I loved you first._  
_Had my chances_  
_Could've been where he is standing_  
_That's what hurts the most,_  
_Girl, I came so close_  
_But now you'll never know_  
_Baby, I loved you first_

Although I could tell that she appreciated and was enjoying the song, she looked a little confused. I caught her quietly mumble to herself "My hearts been taken?..." I shook my head thinking that she must know what I'm talking about.

_First touch_  
_The first kiss_  
_First girl who made me feel like this_  
_Heartbreak_  
_Its killing me_  
_I loved you first, why can't you see?_

_I've been waiting all this time to finally say it_  
_But now I see your hearts been taken_  
_And nothing could be worse_  
_Baby, I loved you first._

_Had my chances_  
_Could've been where he is standing_  
_That's what hurts the most_  
_Girl, I came so close_  
_But now you'll never know_  
_Baby, I loved you first_

_Baby, I loved you first (x3)_

Once I finished she smiled widely at me and I couldn't help but return the gesture. She then surprised me by tackling me with a kiss. We were now on the floor of her room kissing each other like it would be our last. She ran her fingers through my hair as I wrapped my arms around her small waist, not ever wanting to let her go. Our lips moved in perfect sync, like they were made for each other. I picked her up by her thighs and gently placed her on her bed as she held onto my neck.

She pulled me in closer (if that was even possible) as I started kissing her neck. I just couldn't get enough of her. She was like a drug to me. If I had the choice of staying in this moment forever, I wouldn't even hesitate to take it. She started moving her hands under my shirt when suddenly, her clock started making a large beeping noise signaling that it was 11 at night. We both jumped from the surprise, but soon began laughing from our reactions.

As we calmed down from our laughing fit, I laid beside her and wrapped one arm over her protectively and brought her closer to me. I looked into her intimidating, yet mesmerizing, grey eyes and I knew that I belonged here with her. Sure, we weren't perfect, but I think it's the imperfection that makes us so great together. We balanced each other out, even if we didn't have everything in common.

That's why I was able to look at her and honestly say with all my heart "I love you Annabeth Chase."

She gave me a soft kiss on the lips before she whispered "And I love you Percy Jackson."

We stayed silently wrapped in each other's arms until Annabeth whispered "Percy? Can I ask you something about your song?"

"Sure" I replied "What do you want to know?"

She bit her lip before responding "Well, it seemed as if you referred to me being associated with another guy. Why is that?" I gulped. I should have known this was coming.

"Umm, well, because I saw you kissing Luke on the beach when I got home from work." I told her honestly "I got pretty pissed off at Luke for trying to steal another girl that I liked away from me again. So I guess I just wanted to let you know that even if you have feelings for another guy, I would still love you no matter what."

She face palmed and groaned in annoyance "Percy, I love you for saying that, but you should know that I didn't kiss Luke."

My ears instantly perked up "You didn't?"

"Of course not!" she exclaimed "Don't sound so shocked! I would never cheat on you!" I did a little happy dance in my head as she continued her explanation "The jerk wouldn't let me go and tried to kiss me. I was lucky to have something crash behind us for him to get distracted enough so that I could slap him on the face and kick him in the balls." I laughed at the thought of Annabeth kicking Luke's ass. I would have payed anything to see that.

"Wow, my girl's a badass" I praised.

She grinned from the compliment "And don't you forget it." I started playing with her curls when a look of realization came across her face.

"Luke was the best friend that Calypso cheated on you with... Wasn't he?" I hadn't even noticed that I had let the secret slip out of my mouth. Well, there was no use in hiding it anymore.

"Yes, he was." She punched my arm "Ow! What was that for?!"

"Why didn't you tell me it was him?!" she exclaimed "I've been hanging around that creep this whole time and you didn't do anything to stop me!"

"Because I thought he would do something rash like telling your Dad about us."

She sighed and nodded in understanding "Ok, I see your point. But next time, if I'm hanging around a person that you know is bad news, just tell me."

I kissed her forehead softly as I said "Don't worry, I will."

She smiled "Has anyone ever told you that you're such a Seaweed Brain?"

I chuckled "I've been occasionally called that by a certain Wise Girl." She then pulled me in for another long kiss.

"You know you love me for it" she said teasingly.

"Not as much as you love me oh wise one." She started laughing, but it was soon cut off by a low and very furious voice.

"You love him?"

We both immediately stood up and I knew we were both thinking the exact same thing.

_Oh shit._

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**Author's Note:**

**So I hope that somewhat makes up for my absence. I know I had said I'd be back in a week, but yeah as I said before, I got lazy. **

**I was hoping to finish this story before school starts, but OBVIOUSLY that's not going to happen so, I'm just going to warn you now that when school starts, I won't be updating as frequently. So I'm going to try to post as many chapters as I can before school starts.**

**There's still a lot more left and as for the next chapter, well... let's just say there's going to be a lot of drama and secrets will be revealed. **

**Please comment/review and remember to stay tuned! I love all of you guys for sticking with my story and making me reach almost 26,000 views. I appreciate it so much! **

**By the way... sorry for the cliffhanger, but stories wouldn't be much fun without them ;)**

**Here's the link for the song that's on youtube: watch?v=Bd3SfC2UntM**


	18. Reunited

**Hey guys, so as you can see, I'm not dead. Long story short, the amount of things that I've had to do over the past two weeks have been insane. I'm so sorry I left you guys hanging, especially since I said I was going to update soon. Just because I was busy was no excuse, I could have found time in-between, and for that I apologize. **

**I'm going to stop rambling now. So, I present to you chapter 18! I know you've waited a long time for this chapter so I hope you enjoy it :) **

**Disclaimer: Ah you again eh? Well you can shove your accusations up your butt and down to Tartarus because I do not own anything remotely related to Percy Jackson! There! Are you happy now?! **

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**Annabeth POV**

Fuck. Mother fucking fuck of a fuck. This is just... FUCK!

Sorry about the profanities... I don't usually go off like that, but there is a reason. Let me give you a short recap.

So Percy came by my house and sang a song professing his love for me, which I found was the sweetest thing he's ever done. Next thing you know, we're on my bed kissing and he tells me that Luke's the guy who completely stabbed him in the back (let's just say I'm not hanging around _him_ anymore). Then we start teasing each other and well, you know our luck with people barging in on us right? Yeah, so it happened _AGAIN, _but this time the worst person imaginable came into my room.

My Dad.

So now you understand why my mind was screaming all of the swear words I've ever learned and my body was yelling at me to just grab Percy and jump off the balcony while booking the next trip to the most remote island so we can never be found again. Sadly, I didn't follow the advice. So I just stood there completely frozen, my hand entwined with Percy's, trying my best to not look as cowardly as I feel, as I stared at my Dad in shock.

My Dad's eyes narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at our hands and back at us. His face held one of confusion, anger, and strangely, a bit of sadness.

"I'll ask you again Annabeth" my Dad said in a low and frightening tone "You _love _him?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to just laugh and say 'Of course not Dad! It's just a joke! Happy early April Fool's!', but I couldn't. Actually, I wouldn't. I was going to tell my Dad about us after Percy's Mom's wedding, but as you can probably remember, that didn't end so well. But now that we're together again, I might as well come clean. Our relationship can't hide in the shadows forever... I'm not going to let it. So I guess my Dad finding us out was sort of like a blessing in disguise.

With a sudden new found confidence, I took a deep breath and looked at my Dad right in the eye and said loud and clear "Yes. I love him. And there is _nothing _you or anyone else can say to change that."

I caught a glimpse of Percy from the corner of my eye and noticed he was trying his best not to smile at my words. I squeezed his hand for reassurance and he quickly reciprocated. I mentally grinned. I was glad that I wasn't doing this confrontation alone. Thank the Gods Percy was here to have my back!

"I feel the same way about your daughter sir" Percy chimed in. My Dad glowered at him, but Percy didn't seem to be fazed by it "Even though I have only told her that I love her today, I think I've always known that I loved her since the first day we met. And I promise you that I will never hurt her, and that I will always be there for her, no matter what."

My Dad looked at Percy with complete and utter distaste. I don't know what his problem was with my boyfriend, but it was seriously pissing me off. Percy was the sweetest, and most genuinely kindhearted person that I have ever met and my Dad just looks at him like he was the biggest jerk in the universe.

My Dad walked over to us and grabbed my hand that was interlocked with Percy's "Let's go downstairs you two. We have a lot to talk about."

Percy and I sat on the couch while my Dad paced back and forth in front us. He had a permanent scowl across his face as he asked us simple questions.

"When did you start seeing each other?"

"Around two weeks after we arrived here" I answered.

My Dad looked at me in disbelief, but continued "Who else knows about this?"

"Basically everyone who lives here" Percy responded. My Dad sent him a glare that obviously stated 'I wasn't asking you'.

"Have you kissed him?"

I rolled my eyes. That was a stupid question, but I answered it anyways "Yes I have. Do you want to know how many times? Because to be honest I've lost count after fifty." My Dad grimaced which clearly meant that he didn't indicate my sarcasm.

"Have you been..." my Dad took a deep breath "intimate?"

My eyes widened while Percy's face turned crimson red "DAD! NO! We haven't done anything like that! How could you even think I would do something that reckless?!"

"It's a valid question Annabeth!" my Dad's voice was becoming dangerously loud "You've kept this relationship a secret from me for a month! What am I supposed to think?!"

"Oh I don't know," I replied sarcastically "maybe you could actually _trust _me with making the right choices?!"

"Don't you raise your voice at me young lady! We still haven't discussed the fact that you completely disregarded my orders to stay away from this boy-"

"What's your problem with him anyways?!" I was now standing up while facing my Dad with pure fury "He's never done _anything_ wrong! So why the hell do you have such a large grudge against him?!"

My Dad went silent for a while then sighed "I've met people like him Annabeth. He'll sweep you off your feet and treat you like you're the most special person in the world for the first minute, and then completely leave you on the side of the street to rot the next."

Percy instantly stood up "I would _NEVER _do that to her!"

"YES YOU WILL!" my Dad yelled back with his eyes full of hatred "Just like your father did to Sarah!"

The room went silent. You could literally hear a pin drop from how quiet it was.

Percy's face went pale by the mention of his father, but he was able to choke out "What about my father?"

"He broke Sarah's heart" my Dad growled.

"Dad? Who's Sarah?" I was utterly confused. What did this Sarah girl have to do with anything?

He gave me a sad look as he explained "Sarah was the girlfriend I had before I met your mother. Aside from your mother, she was the most incredible woman I have ever met. She was beautiful, smart, bubbly, outgoing, and full of life. We went to university together in California and we took many of the same courses. One day, we were paired to do a project together and after I spent the day with her, I instantly knew that I was in love with her. She was absolutely perfect and I wanted more than anything for her to be with me. After about a month, I finally asked her to be my girlfriend and she happily accepted. We stayed together for two years, until Poseidon came along."

To be honest, it made me feel a little uneasy hearing my Dad talk about a woman who wasn't my Mom like that. I looked over at Percy who had a confused look on his face. Probably wondering what in the world his Dad did to this Sarah girl.

"We met Poseidon when I took Sarah out to the aquarium for a date. He was our tour guide and the three of us became good friends, well, Sarah and him hit it off better than him and I ever did. He was kind of stupid if you asked me." Percy's eyes narrowed and his jaw began to clench. I had to grab his arm before he did anything rash.

My Dad looked at Percy and said "You're like an exact replica of him. When I first saw you at the airport, I thought you were him and I was about to beat the shit out of you." I was taken aback by my Dad's words. He _never_ had the urge to hit someone.

"Anyways," my Dad continued "Poseidon and Sarah started to go out together a lot. I started to get worried since she stopped spending so much time with me and whenever we had plans, she would always find some way to cancel them" my Dad's face suddenly took on a dark expression "Then one day I couldn't take it anymore. I hadn't seen her in over three weeks and I needed to talk to her. I needed to see her face again or else I would go insane. I drove to her house and her mother let me in saying she was in the basement doing homework with a friend. So I went downstairs only to find my girlfriend of over two years making out with your father."

Percy's body instantly tensed and his eyes flared with anger "YOU'RE LYING! HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"

"HE DID!" my Dad yelled back with his face filled with sorrow "And to top it all off, Sarah broke up with me once I had caught them!" Percy took a shaky breath as my Dad finished his story "So I left. I left California and met your mother a few years later. She helped me with all the troubles I was going through in my life, and I helped her with hers. We both had trust issues, but we eventually fell in love with each other. And I can honestly say that Athena was a better woman than Sarah would ever be. Not long after our marriage, I got a job offer in California and we moved. We hadn't even stayed there for two weeks when I heard a knock on the door and sure enough, it was Sarah. She begged for me to take her back and I obviously refused."

My Dad sat on the couch and let out a sigh. It seemed as if this conversation was wearing him out "She told me that after I left, her and Poseidon dated for about three years and were completely happy, that is, until he visited New York one summer. She told me that when he came back, he wasn't the same. She said that it seemed as if his mind was somewhere else whenever he was around her. They shared an apartment together and one day she woke up and he wasn't there. All of his belongings were gone and all that was left was a single note saying:

_'Dear Sarah, _

_I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I don't belong with you. My heart belongs to someone else back in New York. Sally is my soul mate and I need to be with her. I don't expect you to forgive me and again... I'm so sorry Sarah. _

_- Poseidon'_

"She cried when she told me what happened. She apologized for everything she had done to me and pleaded for me to take her back even when I told her no. I still loved her though. Nothing could change that. So I promised myself that I would never let the same heartbreak that happened to Sarah, happen to anyone I ever cared about... And that includes you Annabeth."

I was too shocked to speak. It was obvious that Percy's Dad left Sarah to be with his Mom (which inevitably lead to Percy), but it was still a pretty cruel thing to just leave your current girlfriend like that.

"I also made another promise that day" my Dad growled "I told myself that if I ever see Poseidon again, I wouldn't hesitate do give him the beating that he deserves. So since you're his _son_, I would highly suggest that you step away from my daughter and leave this house before anything gets out of hand."

I quickly led Percy out of the house and quietly mumbled to him "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't worry," Percy mumbled back "as long as I'm with you, everything will be ok."

I slightly blushed from his comment, but soon I started to feel worried "What if he tries to separate us?"

Percy then looked at me in the eyes with so much love and kindness that it made me feel like I was melting. I know it's corny to say, but come on. This summer has been filled with corny things like this and... I secretly loved it.

"I would never let that happen. We belong together Annabeth, and no one is going to come between us."

"Promise?" I ask while slightly closing the front door so my Dad won't hear us.

"I promise" he gave me a quick kiss and quietly whispered "I love you."

I smiled as my cheeks started to turn pink "I love you too."

He smiled cheekily as I closed the door to face my Dad again. I don't care what he said to me. I was going to stay with Percy no matter what. He'd have to lock me up in Tartarus to keep me away from him. And even then, I would find a way to see him again.

I sat across from my Dad in the living room as silence filled the air. He looked at me with so much sadness and disappointment that it was driving me insane. Finally, after a few minutes, he spoke up.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you would have freaked. Just like you did five minutes ago."

My Dad sighed "I guess that's true."

"Are you going to restrict me from seeing him now?" my voice was filled with bitterness.

"I am" my Dad responded honestly "but I doubt it would do any good. You would find a way to see him no matter what I do."

I let out a small smile. Does this mean he'll let me go out with Percy willingly now?

"Time on the other hand, will be your undoing." I looked at him completely confused. What does time have to do with this?

"The summer's almost over Annabeth. You have two, maybe three weeks left before we have to go back to New York. What will you do then?"

Realization dawned on me. I have less than a month left in this paradise before I have to go back. I haven't even thought about what I would do to stay with Percy. Keeping a long distance relationship was so hard. Maybe I could get a job and then save enough money for air fare. Or maybe I could transfer here, but where would I live?

I truthfully had no idea what I was going to do, so I stayed quiet. My Dad took the silence as my response.

"That's what I thought" he sighed while sitting beside me and putting his hand on my shoulder "I know you like this boy Annabeth-"

"Love" I corrected.

He sighed again "I know you _love_ this boy Annabeth, but you're going to have to face the facts sooner or later. You're leaving and he's staying. Eventually, you're both going to forget each other and move on with your lives and this relationship will just be another summer fling."

I rapidly shook my head in protest "DON'T SAY THAT!" I could feel the tears threatening to fall from my eyes as my Dad pulled me in for a hug.

"I know it's going to be hard to let him go, but it's for the best-"

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!" I yelled while pushing him off of me "My whole life I've felt empty, like there was something missing inside of me! And when I'm with Percy, I don't feel that way anymore! As strange as it sounds, he completes me! He makes me feel whole! He makes life worth living! He's everything to me and if I lose him-" I started to sob. I have completely broken down. The thought of a future without Percy was unimaginable. I'm going to find a way to stay with him... Even if it kills me.

My Dad stared at me in utter disbelief "Annabeth," he said softly "look what he's doing to you. You're better off without him-"

"NO!" I yell while stomping off to the front door "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! You have no idea of how it feels like to have someone you love taken away from you!"

I instantly regretted my words. I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned back to my Dad who is staring at the ground with tears in his eyes.

"Dad... I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean-"

"No" he growled "You did mean it. You meant every word." He then looked up at me. His expression was a mix of anger and sadness and it made me want to beg for his forgiveness.

"You may look like Athena," he continued in a low voice "but you will _never_ be like her."

That hurt. He knew how much I wanted to be like my mother. She was everything I aspired to be; smart, kind, wise, passionate, beautiful. For him to say I will never be like her was the largest insult anyone could ever give me.

I looked away from him as the tears streamed down my face "You know what Mom told me before she died? She told me to take more chances in life and to follow my heart, no matter what anyone tells me." I turned and opened the door, but before I left I added "I'm going to do what she said and there's nothing that you can do or say to stop me."

"If you walk out that door," my Dad warned "you cannot come back. I won't ever want to see your face again. So choose wisely Annabeth."

I looked at him over my shoulder and said "I am Dad. You're the one who chose to let me go as your daughter."

With that said, I walked out and slammed the door. I grabbed the extra car keys that I always carried with me from my pocket and got into the rented car. I don't know how long I drove for. By the time I decided to check the clock, it was already two in the morning.

I was just angry. I was angry at my Dad. I was angry at New York. I was angry at the rain that decided to start falling. But most of all, I was angry at myself. I was angry that I couldn't find a logical way for Percy and I to stay together. I was angry that I couldn't just leave him. I was angry that I love him so much it hurts to be without him.

I need to find a way to stay with him. I _will_ find a way. I'm the daughter of Athena; the most intelligent person I have ever known. I'm going to find a way or I'll die trying.

That's when my eyes started to close. I had no idea how tired I was until now. The drowsiness started to overtake me and I could feel the car beginning to swerve. I quickly opened my eyes again, but I was too late. The car slammed into a large palm tree on the side of the road causing the airbag to hit me hard in the face.

It was like everything was moving in slow motion. The glass from the windows shattered and cut me all over my body, while the front of the car was crushed completely, making me feel like I was being squished to death.

_Death._

Oh gods. Was I going to die? I could feel the blood trickling down my head and my breathing beginning to slow down as I lay in the driver's seat.

My eyes started to close and I could feel a single tear rolling down my cheek as everything turned dark.

_'I don't want to die' _was my last thought.

Soon enough there was a bright white light and a single figure was standing before me. She was beautiful. She wore a gorgeous white dress and her hair was the colour of honey. Her grey eyes shone brilliantly against her tan skin as she smiled at me warmly. My eyes widened as I realized who I was looking at.

"Mom?" I whispered in utter disbelief "Is that you?"

She smiled brilliantly at me. Oh gods how I missed her smile.

"Hello Annabeth."

I immediately ran over to her and gave her the largest hug anyone has ever seen. She wrapped her arms around me and soon enough, I started to sob.

"I-I've missed you."

She kissed the top of my head "I've missed you too sweetheart."

I suddenly pulled back and looked at her as more tears streamed down my face.

"Am I dead?"

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**Author's Note:**

***dodges knives and arrows* **

**I'M SORRY! I REALLY AM! Oh gods, you must all hate me right now... I was planning on doing it another half and half, but I'm going to leave it like this on YET AGAIN another cliff hanger. **

**Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys hated me right now. I can truthfully say that I hate myself for writing this. I mean, I come back after two weeks and leave you with Annabeth getting in another car crash. What kind of sick minded human being does that?!... Oh right, me.**

**So I bet you're wondering when I'm going to update. Since it's school and I'm on my senior year, it's going to be difficult, but I'm going to find a way to post at least once a week. It will most probably be on the weekends though, so keep your eye out during Fridays to Sundays. **

**This story has a few more chapters left (don't ask me how many because only time can tell), so I started working on another story. It's not too far ahead, only four chapters, but I hope that you will give it a shot. If you want a summary of it here it is:**

_**Percy Jackson lives in a dangerous neighborhood with his best friends Thalia and Nico. When he gets attacked one night, he is saved by a strange loner girl who goes by the name A.C. He soon catches her doing things that no human being should be capable of doing and then sucked into a world he never knew existed. Join Percy, Thalia, Nico, and A.C. through their insane and possible deadly journey.**_

**There's going to be major Percabeth and it's a lot more adventurous. I'm having fun writing it, so I hope you guys will go check it out. :)**

**Ok, that's enough of my rambling! I know you guys are probably upset, but please review/comment your thoughts/ideas on the chapter/story (I always say this it's getting tedious). **

**Oh and I also want to thank you guys for all the support you have given me! Over 30,000 views! Like OH MY GODS! You guys are truly incredible! I love you as much as Annabeth loves Percy ;) **

**Till next time demigods! **


	19. Apologies & Awakenings

**I know I'm late in the update, but the stupid site wouldn't let me go to my page to upload anything. I'm sorry about keeping you waiting, but the site just went wacko... Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. All rights go to Rick.**

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**Percy POV**

I felt like crumbling down into a million pieces. My heart just dropped to the floor as I held the phone to my ear.

"Mr. Jackson? Are you there? Did you hear what I said?"

I couldn't say anything. It was as if I couldn't even remember what words are. My forehead was beginning to beat with sweat and I could feel my body shake as the message kept ringing in my mind.

_'She's in surgery. We're doing everything we can, but it was a horrible crash. She has many broken bones and we've managed to stop the excess of blood from flowing out of her system, but her heart is failing her. We're not sure if she's going to make it.'_

The tears streamed freely down my face as the phone slipped out of my hands and onto the hardwood floor with a bang.

_She can't die._ I desperately repeated in my head _She can't. She can't leave me. Please... Don't leave me Annabeth. _

I promised her. I promised her that I wouldn't let anything separate us... And that includes death.

She's going to make it. I don't care what anyone says... She's going to come back to me. She'll find a way. She's smart. She's strong. She's intimidating. She's kind. She's funny. She's proud. She's beautiful. She's incredible. She's extravagant. She's a fighter. She's everything. She loves me... She'll find a way. And until she does, I'm going to be there, right by her side, waiting for her to come back.

I love her.

I need to tell her that. I need her to know how much I care. I need to see her infectious smile and her gorgeously mesmerizing grey eyes. I need to feel her warm hand in mine again. Her soft pink lips locked with my own. I need to hear her laugh. Her melodious voice. I need her to call me Seaweed Brain again.

"Go."

I looked up from my hands to come face to face with my mother. Her face was filled with sorrow as she pulled me in for a hug. I hadn't even noticed her come into the room.

"Go to her Percy" she whispered "She needs you now more than ever."

I didn't need to be told twice. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as I ran out the door.

_I'm coming Annabeth. Just hold on._

I was halfway to the hospital when my truck made the most horrible sound I've ever heard. It started to slow down and eventually, the truck came to a complete stop.

I just stared blankly at the road ahead of me. Annabeth is waiting for me as she's fighting for her life and here I am... Stuck in the middle of the road, in the dark, with a broken down truck. I let out an agitated yell. I'm so fucking close! I'm so close to her, I could _feel_ it!

I got out of the car and kicked it with all my might. WHY DID IT HAVE TO BREAK DOWN NOW?! This stupid piece of crap! It's going to take forever for me to walk the rest of the way!

I was suddenly blinded by some extremely bright headlights. I blinked several times as a black Mustang pulled up beside me. The driver lowered the passenger window as they leaned forward to speak. I was completely stunned that the driver who pulled over was none other than Luke Castellan.

"Well what do we have here?" Luke asked with a mischievous smile spreading across his face "Having a bit of car trouble Jackson?"

I let out an exasperated sigh as I said "Leave me alone Luke, I'm not in the mood."

"Aw what's the matter? Having Daddy issues?" Luke grinned wickedly, knowing that he hit a sore spot.

I just scoffed "Psh! You're one to talk. At least my Dad never abandoned me." I didn't mean for the last part to come out. I was just so angry that it slipped. You see, when we were friends, Luke told me that his Dad had abandoned him and his Mom when he was around two. His Mom went a little insane after that and Luke had to do everything by himself for years, until his Dad came back in the picture.

Luke gave me a death stare as he put his foot on the gas and started driving away. I desperately chased after him yelling wait, but I knew I had crossed the line with him, even if he did start it. I needed a ride though, so it was either I get Luke to give me a lift, or I'm walking the rest of the way.

Not knowing what else to yell after him I quickly exclaimed "ANNABETH'S IN THE HOSPITAL!"

The brakes screeched as the car skidded to a stop. The black Mustang suddenly started to reverse and soon enough, Luke was at my side again, looking at me with a shocked expression.

"SHE'S WHERE?!" he yelled. I had never seen Luke like this before. He looked genuinely worried about Annabeth's well being. It was pretty strange.

"She's in the hospital" I repeated while trying not to make my voice crack from the word "She was in a car crash and she's dying. I need to get to her."

Luke looked at me as he contemplated whether or not he should give me a ride. Eventually, he caved. "Hop in."

To say that this ride was awkward is an understatement. It was actually one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. We sat there in silence until Luke caught me completely off guard with two words that I'd never thought he'd say.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" I've never been so confused in my entire life.

"I'm not repeating myself Jackson" Luke growled "I know you heard me."

I gave Luke an incredulous look "But... Why? We've been fighting for so long. Why apologize now?"

He sighed "Because I'm tired of fighting Percy. I think our feud has gone on long enough, don't you?"

I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. Luke hasn't called me by my first name in years! Plus he was APOLOGIZING?! I couldn't believe it, but since it seemed as if he was really doing this, I'm going to get some information out of him in the process.

After a long silence I finally got the courage to speak up "Why'd you do it?"

Luke gave me a confused look "Do what?"

"Why did you get Calypso to cheat on me?"

He stared at the road for a while before he took a deep breath and mumbled "I was jealous."

"_JEALOUS_?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. How could Luke _ever_ be jealous of me?!

"Yes Percy," Luke confirmed in an annoyed tone "I was jealous of you. You have a Mom that loves you to pieces, tons of friends that worship you, you're an incredible musician and swimmer, and somehow you managed to get Calypso to go out with you."

I really wished I had a video camera right now because the guys would never believe me if I told them all of this. Heck, I barely believe it myself! I never knew Luke was so jealous of me, I always thought he had everything. To be completely honest, I was jealous of him.

"That wasn't it though" Luke continued "I was so pissed off at you because I was, well, I really, _really_ liked Calypso at the time." Luke shook his head as he said "I know it was wrong for me to try and steal her away from you, I was just completely blinded by her. I wanted her all to myself. I wanted to be the one making her laugh and smile. I wanted to hold her hand and kiss her without caring who the hell watches. So when I found out you guys got together... Something in me sort of snapped."

"Sort of?"

Luke didn't appreciate my sarcasm, but continued anyways "When Calypso left to California, it was like she took everything that was good about me with her. All that was left was a bitter, angry, teenage boy and I guess I blamed her leaving on you, and that's why I've been so harsh on you over the years."

Luke let out a large sigh. It must have taken everything he had to admit that to me. I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty impressed.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, but just know that I'm not going to get in your way anymore. Not with Calypso, not at school, not even with Annabeth... I'm sorry about her too by the way. I was just going after her to piss you off, I don't even like her like that. If anything, she's more like a sister."

After contemplating on what to say, we reached the hospital. Luke pulled up at the front entrance and I gave him something I haven't given him in a long time... A smile.

"Thanks Luke... For everything. I know that wasn't easy. I don't know if I can forgive you right away, but I will eventually. And I just want you to know that I'm sorry too."

Luke raised his eyebrow "Sorry for what?"

I shrugged "I honestly don't know. I just thought I should say it too."

Luke let out a large laugh. "Same old Percy" he said in-between breaths "Now go find your girlfriend... And tell her I'm sorry for what I did to her. She didn't deserve it."

"Will do" I reply as I jumped out of the car and ran into the hospital.

I sprinted straight to the reception desk and asked, well it was more like of a demanded, to see Annabeth. The lady who was working there had red glasses that pointed out at the ends, short curly auburn hair that looked like snakes, and a sinister smile that was an exact replica of the Cheshire cat's in 'Alice in Wonderland'. The only thing remotely pretty about this woman were her eyes, and even those were freaky. They seemed almost golden and as I looked into them, I felt like I was in a trance and I suddenly couldn't feel my limbs. It was as if her eyes could freeze you in place.

"I'm sorry my dear," replied the snake headed woman "only family members can enter her room. She's in extreme care right now." Something inside of me told me that she wasn't very sorry at all.

"Look lady," I said in the most serious tone I could "I didn't come all this way for nothing. I'm seeing her with or without your consent."

"If you're not a family member," she hissed "I won't hesitate to call security."

"BUT I AM A FAMILY MEMBER!" I yell. I turned my head slightly to find everyone looking at me like I've gone insane. I cleared my throat as I continued in a calmer, but still stern, voice "I'm her cousin."

"Oh really?" she asked while smiling creepily at me. She obviously knew I was lying, but I had to keep up the charade.

"Yes _really_, now if you don't mind, I'd like to see my cousin that is in that room by herself, fighting to stay ALIVE!" I completely snapped and the lady knew it. She gave me another disturbing smile as she handed me a bracelet and pointed down the hall.

"Take the elevator to the third floor, and she'll be in room 600E. Although, I should warn you to brace yourself bec-"

I didn't need to hear what else she had to say. I ran like my life.. No... Like _Annabeth's_ life depended on it. I had finally made it to her room, and yet I couldn't dare myself to open it. I didn't know what was waiting for me on the other side and I wasn't so sure if I could keep myself together if I see Annabeth in her most vulnerable state. I took in a deep breath and did my best to shake all of the anxieties out of my head. She needs me and that's all that matters right now.

I open the door and I immediately stopped breathing. There she was, lying on the white hospital bed like a rag doll. Her hair was a complete mess, she had scratches and bruises all over, her body had been bandaged, and she had a large cast on her left arm. Her eyes were closed and her breaths were slow and jagged. She looked absolutely broken.

I sat on the side of the bed as I reached over and tucked the pieces of hair away from her face. She looked so peaceful, almost like an angel. There was a faint beeping that echoed in the room. I looked at her heart monitor and noticed that her heart was beating extremely slowly. It was worrying me in ways that you wouldn't even imagine.

"She hasn't been awake since the surgery."

I snapped my head around only to find Annabeth's Dad leaning against the door frame. It looked as if he hadn't slept in days. His eyes were bloodshot with bags underneath, his face was incredibly pale, his body was slumped, and his forehead was filled with worried lines. He quietly trudged into the room, grabbed a chair from a nearby table, and sat across from me. I felt a little uneasy with him being here considering the last time we met, it didn't end on such a happy note.

I tentatively held onto Annabeth's cold, motionless hand as he stared at me blankly. After a few minutes of awkward silence he sighed and put his hands to his face as he said in a remorseful tone "I'm sorry."

Was it 'Apologize to Percy Jackson Day' or something? Why is everyone who supposedly hates me, suddenly asking for my forgiveness?

"I was wrong" he continued "I was wrong to let my feelings towards your father lash out on you. I was wrong to judge you so coldly. I realize now that it was completely unfair and I should have known that if Annabeth has decided to love you, then you must not be too bad. Although I am still a little angry that you two have kept your relationship a secret from me for so long, I understand why you did it. I just want you to know that I'm not going to come between you two anymore and... I approve of your relationship."

My jaw dropped to the floor. Did he just say what I think he said?! He... _APPROVED_?! If we weren't surrounded by expensive hospital equipment, I would most probably do a backflip right now. Mr. Chase's approval meant that Annabeth and I didn't have to sneak around him anymore. We were finally free to shout our love out to the world!... Ok, maybe that was kind of weird, but at this moment I didn't really care.

I was still in such a shock that all I managed to say was a quiet "Thank you."

Mr. Chase gave me a friendly smile that made him look ten years younger "No Percy, thank you" he laughed lightly at my confused expression "Thank you for making my daughter the happiest she's ever been. She was never the same after her mother died and I believe I'm partially responsible for that. So, I'm ecstatic to see her being herself again." He then gave me a pointed look "But I swear to you, that I will not hesitate to go, as Annabeth would say, 'crazy overprotective Dad mode' if you should hurt her in any way."

"I promise sir, I would never do anything to hurt Annabeth. She's everything to me" I assured him.

"I'm glad to hear that." He then looked at his watch and got up from the chair he was sitting at "I have a meeting with the doctor right now to see if they can do anything else for her. They told me that her heart is failing and that if there wasn't any strong activity anytime soon she could-"

"She'll be fine."

I knew what he was going to say and I didn't want to hear it. She was going to make it out of this. I just knew it.

"I know she will. She's a fighter, just like her mother." Mr. Chase then exited the room leaving me with white walls, expensive hospital equipment, and a broken Annabeth at my side.

I held her hand tighter as I sat closer to her. I leaned forward and gently placed my forehead onto hers, making sure I didn't put too much pressure on her delicate head. I felt her breath faintly brush against my face from how close we were. In this moment, I would have given up anything to see her eyes again. To hear her laugh. To see her smile. To hear her say my name. To have her here, alive and well, in my arms.

This girl has changed my life in ways that people will never know. As corny as it sounds, she's like a beacon of light that has managed to pull me out of the darkness and into her embrace. She is my other half. My soul mate. I know it may sound strange for a seventeen year old teenage guy to be saying things like this, but it is completely, and utterly, one hundred percent true. I care more about her than life itself. She is the reason life is worth living because a life without Annabeth, is like an ocean without water. It's impossible to even imagine.

"Please come back to me Annabeth" I whispered. I could feel my chest tighten as I looked at her in this state. It killed me that I couldn't do anything to make the pain go away. "Don't leave me... I need you Annabeth, just... Stay."

The heart monitor started to beep a little louder.

"Come on Annabeth" I said more desperately now "We have our whole lives ahead of us, you can't leave yet. Think about Thalia and Piper, they need you too. Think about my Mom, she'll be heartbroken if you go like this. Think about me... I can't live without you."

The monitor was now at a steady pace.

"I love you Annabeth. I love your mind, your face, your soul. I love you kindness, your intelligence, your beauty, your witty remarks. There are so many things to list, so just know that I love everything about you. I love you Annabeth and if you're listening right now, then all I ask is for you to do one thing for me" I paused and pulled back a bit to look at her beautiful sleeping face as I whispered "Open your eyes Wise Girl."

I then leaned in again and kissed her as all the love that I had inside of me poured out. Her lips were soft, but they were cold and unresponsive. I didn't care though, I still kissed her the same as I would have kissed her if she was awake.

Suddenly, her heart monitor went completely insane. Her heart was beating so fast that I thought it was going to explode. Out of nowhere, a bunch of doctors and nurses came rushing into the room yelling God knows what. I didn't know what was happening to Annabeth, but I wasn't about to leave her side. I held on so tightly to her hand that I thought I was going to break it. The doctors were yelling at me to leave, but I wouldn't budge.

I suddenly felt people's hands on my arms. I desperately tried to pry myself away from them, but their grip would only tighten. There were at least four nurses pulling me away as I fought back with all my might to hold onto Annabeth. Eventually, they overpowered me and Annabeth's hand slipped through mine.

"NO! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HER?! TELL ME! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" I was yelling hysterically as the nurses restrained me and pushed me out the door.

The last thing I saw was Annabeth's body shaking violently, without any indication of stopping.

* * *

**Annabeth POV**

I was dead. I was sure of it. I mean, isn't this what happens when you die? You see a bright light and then you meet up with your deceased relatives? That's how I thought it worked at least. Apparently, I was wrong.

"No," my mother responded in a soothing voice "you're not dead sweetheart. Well, not yet anyways."

"What do you mean?" I asked clearly confused by the whole situation. I mean, wouldn't you be skeptical if you were somehow standing in front of your dead mother and then having her tell you that you're not dead _yet_.

"What I mean is that you were so close to death and you have done well in this life, that the big man upstairs has decided to give you a choice. You can either choose to stay here with me, or go back to the world of the living."

I can choose?! I never knew I could even _have_ that option?! I weighed my options carefully. On one hand, I could stay in paradise with my mother, who I missed so much, and not have a care in the world. On the other hand, I could go back on Earth and be with my friends and... Family again.

_What about Percy?_ my mind asked.

Percy. Just hearing his name makes my stomach start to do somersaults. Could I leave him behind? No. Absolutely not. There was no way in heaven or on Earth that I'd leave my seaweed brain headed boyfriend behind. It pained me so much to even _think_ about leaving him. After processing this, I knew my answer.

My mother smiled at me as she said "That was a wise choice Annabeth." I guess she read my mind or something because I hadn't even told her what my answer was yet. "I'm glad that you followed my advice and followed your heart. I'm so proud of you."

Tears freely started flowing down my face again. That's all I've ever wanted. To make my mother proud of me. And now that I've heard it straight from her, I can continue living my life in peace. I gave my Mom a large bear hug which she quickly reciprocated. A thought came into my head as I pulled back to look at her.

"Mom, before I go, I was wondering if it would be alright if I see someone."

My Mom looked surprised by my request "I'm not sure if I could do that Annabeth." I gave her a pleading look and she sighed "Well, it depends on the person, but I suppose it would be alright."

I grinned widely "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

She smiled warmly "Now we don't have much time, so who is it that you wanted to see?"

I took a deep breath, ready for what was about to come "Poseidon Jackson."

My mother gave me a look of disbelief as a shimmering figure started to appear beside her. The figure soon came into focus and I almost burst into laughter when I saw Percy's Dad in the middle of shaving, with cream all over the bottom half of his face.

He stopped and looked between my mother and I with an absolutely puzzled look on his face. I couldn't help but notice how much Percy resembled his father. They had the same facial expressions and features, the same tan skin, and the same dark messy raven black hair. If I had seen him walking down the street, I would have automatically thought that it was Percy. The only difference between the two is that Poseidon looked older and had a stubble while Percy's face was completely clean.

"Umm" he began while wiping the shaving cream from his face "Hello?"

"Hi" I said as confidently as I could while holding my hand out to greet him "I'm Annabeth Chase."

He shook my hand and as I looked into his green eyes, all I could think about when I saw them was Percy.

"You're daughter I presume?" Poseidon asked while looking at my mother.

She just glared at him while saying "Obviously! Do you not see the resemblance fish face?" I'm going to take it that these two don't get along very well...

"If you mean tall, blonde, and stupid, then no I don't see it" replied Poseidon with equal distaste.

My mother gaped at him "Me?! Stupid?! Let me tell you something here buddy, I am NOT-"

"Would you two cut it out!" I exclaim "You sound like pre-schoolers and I don't have much time to waste!" They both grumbled in response while stating that the other person 'started it'.

I turned to face Percy's father "Mr. Jackson, may I please speak to you," I then gave my mother a quick glance "in private." He then smiled genuinely which only brought me pain because of how much it reminded me of Percy. Gods, I missed him so much.

"Of course." We then walked a few feet away from my mother and when we were out of earshot he asked "What did you want to talk to me about?"

I took a deep breath "Well, my father told me about the history he had with you and a woman named Sarah" I felt him instantly tense from her name, but I continued "And I just wanted to know if what he said was true."

He sighed as he looked me in the eye and said "Yes, it was true. I was a coward and a jerk to her. Sarah deserved better than that and I shouldn't have left her the way I did. I was just so in love with Sally and I didn't know how to let Sarah go easily. So I did the most horrible break-up known to man; I got up and left her in the middle of the night. When I see her again, I will apologize for bringing her so much pain, but I do not regret leaving because I got to be with the woman I truly loved and start a family with her."

I nodded my head in understanding as he smiled sadly "You hate me don't you."

"No" I replied "I don't hate you. I actually wanted to tell you that I don't hold anything against you."

"And why is that?" he asked curiously.

I smiled sheepishly "Because without you, I would have never met Percy."

He grinned widely as he said "Ah, yes. I've noticed that you've taken a liking to my son. He's quite the catch isn't he?"

He winked which only made me laugh "Oh he's a keeper all right. He's not the brightest crayon in the box though."

"Just like his father" he mused. His face then took on a serious expression "I also wanted to tell you something Annabeth. I just wanted to say that I'm extremely happy that you and Percy are together." I couldn't help but feel all warm inside. I was ecstatic that Poseidon approved of our relationship... If only my Dad would do the same. "Percy's been through a lot in his life and I'm glad that he has someone like you to rely on. He's very lucky to have you."

"Thank you so much for saying that, but I think I'm the lucky one out of the two. Your son is the most incredible person I have ever met, and I know he loves you very much."

"Thank you Annabeth. I can say the same for you." He looked back at my mother who was glaring daggers in his direction "Although your mother doesn't like me very much, I know for a fact that she likes Percy. She even told me herself, and I quote, 'He's not as much of an idiot as his father, so I suppose he's acceptable'."

My mother then appeared at my side and looked at me with a sad smile "Your ride back to Earth has arrived Annabeth."

"I'm going to miss you so much Mom!" I exclaim while giving her another hug as she kissed the top of my head.

"I'm going to miss you too sweetheart, but we'll see each other again someday. And remember, I'll always be watching over you." She then leaned in and whispered in my ear "I know he's your boyfriend, but I don't want to see you having my grandchildren before your twenty, so please tone it down."

"MOM!" I yelled in disbelief.

She just shrugged while giving me a knowing smile "I'm only looking out for you Annabeth. This is what mothers do."

I rolled my eyes as I turned to Poseidon. He pulled me in for a large hug, which I didn't suspect, but I quickly hugged him back. "I expect many grandchildren from you two" he whispered. I pulled back blushing furiously. These two have to be some of the strangest parents _ever_.

"Oh and Annabeth" Poseidon said with a desperate look in his eyes "Please tell Percy that I'm proud of him, and that I love him and his mother so much."

"Don't worry, I will." I then looked around the area with a confused look "Umm... Where's this 'ride' that's supposed to take me back?" For the first time since I've been here, Poseidon and my mother looked at each other with a large smile on their faces.

"He's right over there Annabeth" my mother said while pointing behind me. I turned around to see a tall figure standing a few feet away from me. I immediately recognized his lopsided smirk, untameable hair, and mesmerizing sea green eyes. I was now grinning from ear to ear as I ran to him. I jumped into his arms as he spun me around and pulled me closer to him.

"What took you so long Wise Girl?" he asked while rubbing the back of his hand on my cheek "I've been waiting forever." My breath hitched when I heard his low melodious voice. I never wanted him to stop talking. "Are you ready to come home now?"

I nodded while wrapping my arms around his neck. He grinned widely as he rested his forehead against mine.

His lips were just centimeters away from mine when he whispered "Open your eyes Wise Girl."

Our lips crashed together and I felt my heart start to race a million miles per hour. I loved every second that his lips were on mine. They were warm, soft, and comforting, as he kissed me with so much love I felt like I was going to burst.

"I love you" was the last thing I told him when my eyes shot open only to find myself in a room filled with doctors and one specific doctor with two metal looking squares in his hands yelling "CLEAR!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you liked the chapter! **

**I will be updating this weekend between Saturday and Sunday... Hopefully the site doesn't go all crazy on me again -_- **

**Anywho, please comment/review yadda, yadda, yadda, you guys know what I'm talking about. **

**Till next time fellow demigods! **


	20. The Break-In

**Ok guys, before I show you the chapter I wanted to tell you a funny story. I went to Starbucks today and they asked me my name. I told them my name is Annabeth, as a joke of course. So they went to make my order as I waited on the side. When they finally finished the yelled "Caramel Frapuchino for Annabelle!" My face literally looked like this: -_- **

**I now understand how it feels like when Mr. D gets the PJO character's names wrong. Ok, so maybe it wasn't all that funny, I just wanted to share since my parents didn't really care. Pshh mortals...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Johnson- I mean, Percy Jackson ;)**

* * *

**Percy POV**

They kicked me out. They actually _banned_ me from seeing her! Who the hell do they think they are?! You can't refrain me from seeing someone that I love!

So, being the smart person that I am, I tried sneaking in. See, the key word there is _tried_. I planned and thought through every option, just like Annabeth would do, but she's obviously better at strategics than I am. All of my plans failed miserably. After plan 'G', the hospital workers were watching me like a hawk; especially the evil receptionist. If she even caught a glimpse of me, she would call security. Do you have any idea how awkward it is to have five guys in black uniforms follow you into the washroom?! It's freakin' creepy!

When they caught me the first few times, they would take me away by force since I wasn't the most cooperate person in the world. After the fifth time, I allowed them to escort me out without any resistance... But I would still say a few very colourful words to them.

The guards started to get very amused with my desperate break-in attempts. I even overheard them begin betting on who would catch me next. It was extremely annoying since I didn't find any of this funny. Annabeth was still in there and no one was telling me anything about her state!

When they dragged me out of her room after her heart monitor went insane, all I heard the doctor say was "We're losing her!" I didn't hear anything after that. Everything went silent and I suddenly couldn't feel my limbs. Apparently, I passed out. I woke up in a small white room when I realized what had happened. I felt so embarrassed by my actions that I left the room without caring if I was allowed to or not, and went to go find Annabeth. I ended up in some restricted area and accidentally knocked over a trolley filled with medicines. The nurses got so angry at me that they banned me from the hospital for a week. And that ladies and gentlemen, is how 'Operation Break into the Hospital and Find Annabeth' was born. I know the name sucks, but Annabeth would always be the one to think of the cool names. Why do you think I call her Wise Girl?

I was sitting on a dark brown bench outside of the hospital, with my head in my hands, completely out of ideas. I didn't know what to do, and the longer I stayed out here, the crazier I was becoming.

"Did someone call in for reinforcements?"

I look up to find Thalia staring down at me with Piper, Jason, and Nico behind her. Thalia's smirk grew wider when she saw my perplexed face.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"One of our best friends got in a car crash and is in the hospital. Did you actually think we wouldn't come?" Piper asked while hitting me in the arm "Thanks for telling us by the way!"

I smiled sheepishly at her "Sorry, I completely forgot."

Thalia rolled her eyes "Well lucky for you Kelp Head, Annabeth's Dad told us the whole situation."

"Have you heard of anything new?" Jason asked while putting his arm around Piper, who looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

"No," I responded bitterly "the workers refuse to tell me anything. Plus, they kind of... kicked me out" I mumbled the last part.

"You got kicked out of a hospital?!" Nico exclaimed while laughing loudly "What did you do? Give them the wrong urine sample?"

Piper gaped at him "Ew Nico! That's so gross!"

He shrugged "That's nothing. You should hear what the Stolls did last year. They took all of the gauze from a supply closet and-"

"That doesn't matter right now!" I interrupted "What matters is, how are we going to go in and see Annabeth undetected."

Thalia chuckled "What do you mean 'we'? _You're_ the one who's been banned."

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed while abruptly standing up from the bench "You're not going to help me?!"

"Relax Perce" Jason chimed in "We'll help you, we just need to figure out a plan."

"And walkie-talkies!" Piper and Nico yelled simultaneously.

We all looked at them strangely when Piper asked "What? It wouldn't be a proper break-in without them."

Nico nodded "I completely agree."

Thalia rolled her eyes and sighed "I'm dating a five year old."

"Hey!" Nico protested as he put his arm around her waist "You know you love my childish-"

"So what's the plan?" Jason asked while ignoring an annoyed Nico.

Thalia grinned mischievously "I think I've got an idea."

I'll admit, I was a little wary about the fact that Thalia was making the plan, but once she explained it, the plan seemed pretty full proof. There were guards in the front entrance, just waiting for me to walk by. Thalia instructed Piper to distract them (A.K.A. flirting), which Jason was extremely against, but he eventually gave in after Piper whispered something to him. Next was getting by 'Medusa', we called her, at the reception desk. Nico was going to go up to her and act as a mental patient while Thalia and I sneak past. If there was any security that spotted us (which there would most likely be), Jason was going to cause a diversion. Thalia and I would continue our way around the hospital until we found Annabeth and... That's the plan! I just hope it works.

The plan was working perfectly. Piper had the guards wrapped around her finger and Nico was doing exceedingly well in his role as a mental patient. Jason was about to execute his diversion when he saw a slight look of panic come across Piper's face. Apparently, her charm was working a little too well, and the guards were trying to make a move on her. Jason, being the protective person that he is, rushed over to her aid and to make a long story short, a fight broke loose.

Nico went over to help Jason and got sucker punched in the stomach. Thalia and I rushed over to his side before the guard could do anything else. Thalia kicked him hard in the balls as I punched him in the jaw. The guard toppled over in pain as Nico regained his normal breathing patterns. Thalia took the breath right out of him again with a bone crushing hug. I still find it weird seeing Thalia show any signs of affection. It just seems unnatural with her tough girl attitude.

"Thanks Thals, but next time, can you let me be the hero and fight the battles?" Nico asked while hugging her back. Thalia pulled away to look at him as she- wait... Was she _BLUSHING_?!

"Sorry, I just don't like seeing people beat up my boyfriend" her sheepish smile turned into a smirk "That's my job." Nico smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. UGH GROSS! I looked away while pretending to gag. Then a crazy thought came into my head.

_Do Annabeth and I look like this in public?_

Man, I sure hope not. Although, I might have the slightest inkling that we're way worse.

I cleared my throat "Ahem" Thalia and Nico were blushing furiously as they both pulled away "Sorry to interrupt your little moment, but need I remind you that we still have to find Annabeth."

"My bad Perce" Nico said with a small grin spreading across his face "Go on Thals, we'll communicate through the walkie-talkies if we need to." Yes, that's right... We actually went to go buy walkie-talkies. It was the only way we could get Piper and Nico to participate.

Nico turned to get back into the fight as Thalia and I sprinted in the other direction. I highly doubted that they would move Annabeth from her old room, so Thalia and I took the elevator to the third floor and rushed to the room labeled 600E. To our surprise, the room was completely empty. The only thing left was a neatly made white bed. It was as if Annabeth was never even there.

I started to panic. What if she's in surgery again? What if she's in such a critical condition that they moved her to a restricted area? What if she's... Dead and they took all her stuff out? No, she's not dead. I refuse to believe that, it was just a stupid thought.

I knew that Thalia could tell I was worried because she patted me on the back reassuringly while saying "She's alright. We'll find her." Suddenly, a voice came from Thalia's jean pockets.

_"Ghost King to Huntress, are you there? Over."_

Thalia pulled out the walkie-talkie and responded "Huntress here. What's going on Ghost King? Over."

_"Did you find Wise Girl? Over."_

"No, not yet. Her room was empty so Flounder and I are going to keep searching. Over."

"Why is my name Flounder again?" I grumbled.

Thalia silently chuckled "Because the name suits you well."

"But all of you guys have cool nicknames!" I whined. Thalia told me to hush as Nico spoke again.

_"Well, you're going to have to hurry up. Some of the guards have dispersed and are headed your way. Sparky and Beauty Queen have tried to hold them off as long as they could, but it won't be long until they get to your location. Over." _

Thalia cursed under her breath "Thanks Ghost King. We'll keep you posted. Over."

Thalia and I decided to take the stairs to the second floor since we thought the elevator would be too risky. I peeked out the door to make sure the coast was clear to sneak around. We successfully searched through about half of the second floor without getting detected when the walkie-talkie started talking again.

_"Beauty Queen to Huntress! Guards are coming on the second floor! Abort your position! I repeat, abort!"_

Thalia and I looked at each other with wide eyes as we desperately looked around to try and find an exit. We spotted one at the end of the hallway and we sprinted as fast as we could towards it. Unfortunately, one of the doors of the hallway opened and a guard stepped out. This guard was tall and really well built with muscles that looked like he could be a professional football player. He had copper skin, dark brown eyes, and a permanent scowl on his face. He looked around twenty-one, which probably made him one of the youngest guards that I've seen all day. Thalia and I turned to run, but he grabbed the both of us by our collars before we could.

"You guys are coming with me" he said in a low gruff voice. Thalia and I both gulped as he lead us to a room a few halls away. We stood in front of a door as he opened it and motioned for Thalia to go in "You first."

Thalia reluctantly walked in the room as the large guard closed the door after her. We stood in an awkward silence that seemed to last for hours when finally, I just couldn't take it anymore "You aren't going to arrest us or anything are you?"

The guard surprised me by cracking a smile "No, I'm not arresting you. I'm actually here to help you believe it or not." The look on my face must have been pretty funny because he started laughing "I've heard about your desperate attempts to meet a patient here. Some of the guys found it humorous, but I thought that if any guy was that determined to see someone, they should at least get some help."

The guard then checked his watch while grinning down at me "You can go in now. Your friend should be finished." He then opened the door for me to go in.

Before I entered the room, I turned to him and asked "Why are you helping me?"

"Because Percy," I was stunned to see that he knew my name "I know how it feels like to be separated from someone you care about. I'm sure you've heard of Silena Beauregard" I nodded with a confused look "Well, her Mom didn't really like me that much, so she kept us apart as best she could. Unlucky for her, her efforts were useless. We always found a way to see each other, even when Silena moved to Miami for a few years" He paused for a moment to smile to himself.

I've known Silena for a long time because of my Mom. Silena owned a jewelry store in the strip, but she was the one who helped my Mom design her sweet shop. They had spent months choosing colours and decorations that I was about ready to dig myself into a hole if I heard about how great of a utensil pink ribbon was to society one more time. Silena wasn't always annoying though, she was actually really nice and friendly. She would talk about her boyfriend a lot and how her Mom would never approve of him. That's when it hit me.

"You're Charlie?"

He grimaced from the name "Yeah, the name's Charles actually, but I'd prefer it if you call me Beckendorf. I only let Silena call me Charlie since well, she's my fiance and all."

My eyes widened "She's your fiance?!"

He smiled proudly "Yup, I asked her when she moved back here. Her Mom wasn't very happy, but I think she's warming up to the idea" He then pushed me forward into the room "Now get in there, something tells me that this person doesn't like to be kept waiting."

_What's he talking about?_ I wondered.

"Well thanks Beckendorf for not, you know, arresting me." He just smiled as he closed the door behind me.

I turned around to find myself in a small white room with a bed that had its covers all messed up, a bunch of expensive and complicated looking machines, and a light beige curtain that was hung near the bed. I could tell that there was a figure standing behind the curtain, so I cautiously walked up to it. I was about three steps away when the curtain flew open and the person behind it yelled "BOO!"

I stumbled backwards in surprise and luckily for me, the bed was there to catch me before I fell. I looked at the person in front of me and my breath was literally taken away from me. It was her. She was here. In front of me. Alive, and smiling at me with her eyes brightly shining. Her left arm was still in a cast, some parts of her body were still bandaged, and she had scars and bruises everywhere, but I didn't care. She looked absolutely stunning.

"Hi Percy" she said softly as she continued to smile widely at me, but her eyes suddenly looked like they were going to break into tears.

I slowly got up from the bed and stepped in front of her. I brought my hand up to her face as a tear spilled from her eye. I brushed it away as I rubbed the back of my hand on her cheek. She leaned into my touch and I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding. She stepped closer to me and raised her good arm up so that her hand could cup my face. I wrapped my other arm around her protectively as I gently leaned my forehead against hers. It felt like a dream, having her here, in my arms.

After we stood there for a few minutes just taking each other in, I was finally able to choke out "Annabeth."

She sighed as she stared at me with those large grey eyes "I missed you." She then closed the gap between us and kissed me. It took no amount of time for me to kiss her back with all of the passion and love that I've been saving inside of me just for her. We kissed like we haven't kissed each other in a thousand years, Our lips moved in perfect sync, as the always did, but this kiss was more than an 'I love you' kiss. It not only expressed our love for each other, but it showed how there was no way we could live without one another.

My tongue slightly brushed over her bottom lip and I felt her smile as she granted me access. She slowly guided me to the bed and before I knew it, she was laying down with me hovering over her, making sure I didn't hurt her in the process. The kiss was hungry and desperate at the beginning, but it soon turned slow and delicate. Although the kiss changed, it still displayed all of the love and longing that we had for each other.

When we pulled apart, we were breathing as if we had just ran around the world in less than a minute. We were still breathing heavily as I laid down beside her. I put my arm around her waist as I carefully pulled her closer to me. She looked at me with such bright eyes that it made me feel like I was the luckiest guy on the planet. I grinned cheekily at her as I brought my forehead closer to hers.

"I love you."

She sighed happily as she said "I will never get tired of hearing you say that." She gave me another slow kiss when she pulled back and whispered "I love you too."

I smiled as I propped my arm up so that I could look down at her. Her hair was completely messy from our make-out and some of her curls had fallen over her face. I gently tucked them away, but I still played with some of them. I looked at her sadly and I could tell that she knew what I was going to ask.

"What happened?" I whispered.

She broke my gaze as she stared at the hand that was playing with her hair "My Dad and I had a big fight after you left. He told me that if I left the house, he never wanted to see me again, but I left anyways. I drove for a really long time until the drowsiness overtook me. I was falling asleep at the wheel when I hit the tree. I was so scared Percy. I thought I was going to die."

I reached over and pulled her face to meet mine. I looked at her reassuringly as she gave me a small smile before she continued "When I blacked out, there was a sudden white light and I..." she took a deep breath "I saw my mother." I raised my eyebrows in surprise. That must have been really hard for her. I knew how much she loved her Mom, and just seeing her, probably broke her.

"She said I had a choice. She said I could choose between staying on Earth, or staying with her."

"And you chose to stay here?" I asked in disbelief. She could have stayed in paradise with her mother, without fear, pain, or suffering, and yet, she chose to remain on Earth "Why?"

She glared at me while punching me with her good arm "Isn't it obvious Seaweed Brain? I'd miss everyone too much to rest in peace!" She then pulled me closer to her "I'd miss you too much. It wouldn't be heaven without you."

"Who knew you could be so sappy Wise Girl" I teased while smiling widely and giving her a wink.

She pushed me away "Oh shut it Percy and let me finish my story!" I laughed as I plopped myself beside her again and looked at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes as she continued "I told my Mom what I wanted and she said I had made a wise choice, but before I left I asked to meet someone." She looked at me hesitantly and sighed "I asked to meet your Dad Percy."

I was too shocked to speak. She got to meet my Dad?! I couldn't help the sadness and jealousy overflow me. I missed him so much. I just wanted to see his face again.

After a long silence I finally asked "What did he say?" I said it so quietly that I could barely hear it myself.

She smiled as she put her hand under my chin and raised it so that I could look at her "He said that he's extremely proud of you and that he loves you and your Mom very much. He misses you both a lot."

I felt my chest contract from hearing her words. I'm so glad that she came back, and not just because I probably couldn't function with her gone, but also because she got to deliver that message to me. My Mom would always say that he was proud of me and that he loved me before, but hearing it like this, felt a lot more real.

She laughed lightly "You look a lot like him you know?"

I let out a small smile "I do?"

"Yeah," she mused "you're almost like an exact replica. Except that he looks older and has a beard."

"Hmm," I said while pretending to ponder and scratching my chin "maybe I should grow a beard. Wouldn't you like that Annabeth?"

She made a face "If you do that, I'll come in your room at night, and shave it off myself." I laughed, but she just looked at me with a serious expression "I'm being completely honest Percy. I don't even want to see a stubble until maybe when we're like twenty something."

My eyes brightened "You actually think we're going to be together for that long?" I had sometimes thought of living the rest of my life with Annabeth, and it just seemed... Right. Like we were supposed to be together forever. I guess you could say I was utterly ecstatic to hear the possibility of that happening come out of her mouth.

She started blushing furiously "Yes well, ummm, I just-" I silenced her stammering with a kiss. She was surprised, but she soon kissed me back. As I pulled away she looked at me gratefully. I knew she didn't like being flustered, so I 'took one for the team'.

She then started laughing which got me really confused "Oh gods Percy, I forgot to tell you that our parents openly hate each other!"

"Really?!" I asked completely baffled.

"Yeah! They fight all the time, it's actually pretty funny when I think about it' she sighed "I'm just glad that they approve of us."

I chuckled "They told you that?"

"Yeah, and your Dad said that he was expecting a lot of grandchildren."

I'm a hundred percent sure that my face was redder than a tomato. Leave it to my Dad to still be able to embarrass me from up above. That was probably his best talent.

Annabeth laughed at my blushing face as she leaned in to kiss me again. She never got the chance to though. Her Dad barged into the room with a plate of steaming hot soup. The noise startled us both so much that we quickly sat up from the bed. The fast reaction made Annabeth groan in pain which caused Mr. Chase to drop the soup at a nearby table and run to her side.

"Are you alright Annabeth?" he asked while examining her arm "Does it hurt?"

She glared at him while mumbling "Like you'd care."

Mr. Chase then sighed sadly as he stood up and looked at me kindly "Thank you for being here with her Percy, but I'd like to have some time with my daughter if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course sir" I said while getting off the bed, but Annabeth grabbed my arm before I could.

She looked at me with pleading eyes as she whispered "Please don't go." I smiled reassuringly at her as I leaned in and kissed her forehead and gave her a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in her ear "but I should go." I pulled back to see her face and added "Don't worry, I'll come by later tonight. My Mom will want to see you too."

She smiled widely before giving me a quick peck on the lips "Just come back soon."

"I will. I promise." I smiled once more at Annabeth and gave a slight nod to Mr. Chase before I left the room.

I sighed happily as I walked down the hallway only to find Medusa waiting for me. She was frowning while giving me a deadly glare. I rolled my eyes as I exclaimed "Can't you just leave me be?!" She made a sound that sounded strangely like a hiss. "I know, I know," I grunted "I'm leaving now anyways." She followed me to make sure I kept to my word and as I walked out of the hospital, despite the fact that there was a creepy lady behind me, I was grinning from ear to ear.

I opened the front door to my house and called to see if anyone was home. Sure enough, my Mom ran downstairs with Paul trailing closely behind. She gave me such a large hug that she basically sucked out all of the air I had in my system.

"Oh Percy how is she?! Is she alright?! Is she awake?! Is her father there?! Is she hungry?! I can make her something to give her-"

"Sally," Paul interrupted while putting a hand on her shoulder "you're rambling again."

"Oh I'm terribly sorry for bombarding you with questions Percy" my Mom said sheepishly.

I chuckled "Don't worry Mom, it's ok. Annabeth is doing fine and yes she's awake now. I just came back from talking to her."

"That's wonderful Percy! I'm so happy that she's alright."

Her and Paul suddenly exchanged a glance that made it look like they were having a silent conversation with each other. Paul sighed as he turned to look at me.

"Percy, your mother and I have something to tell you."

I looked at them nervously "What is it?" My Mom smiled brightly at me, but I could tell that she was a little anxious from her news.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**To be honest, I sometimes surprise myself. I had not planned for Sally to be pregnant, yet here she is! **

**Ok, so let's cut to the chase (Haha! See what I did there? ;) ), please review and comment all that you desire and continue being the most awesome fans that a girl could ask for! You guys are truly incredible! **

**The count right now is 38,905 views. Think we could bring that to 40,000? :) I believe we can! **

**Till next time fellow demigods! **

**P.S. Has anyone seen the video of Rick reading a part from the House of Hades?! I was only able to get through the first ten seconds before I had to stop it. I couldn't even finish watching the video because I was on the verge of tears. It was a part where Percy and Annabeth were in Tartarus... NOT COOL RICK! You can't keep playing with my emotions like that! **

**Oh gods... This book is going to be the death of me.**

**P.P.S. I still haven't watched the video... Maybe I will when I finish the book LOL! **


	21. Plans Turn into Problems

**Hey guys I know it's been a long time, but you all know how cruel school can be. Anyways, I have some stuff to tell you, but I'll first give you the chapter :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, but I am the proud owner of a copy of 'The House of Hades'!**

* * *

**Annabeth POV **

"Would you at least listen to what I have to say?" my Dad pleaded while I averted my gaze from his. I didn't want anything to do with him. I didn't want to look at him, I didn't want him here beside me, and I most _definitely_ did not want to hear what he had to say. I'm done with him. In my opinion, I don't even have a father anymore.

_Don't you think you're being a little harsh?_ asked the voice in my head _I mean, he showed up to the hospital to check on you. Doesn't that count for anything?_

_NO! _I protested _It doesn't! _

I sighed mentally. Why couldn't Percy just stay? I know he's coming by later, but I just really don't want to talk to my Dad right now. I'm just really angry at him and his desperate attempts to get my attention is making the atmosphere in the room completely awkward. Why can't he just take a hint and realize I don't want to associate with him anymore? Is it too much to ask for him to just leave me alone?

"There's nothing left to say" I responded bitterly.

My Dad let out an exasperated sigh "You're as stubborn as your mother." For the first time since he entered the room, I turned and looked at him in the eyes.

"Do _not_ talk about my mother with me" I growled.

To my surprise he met my gaze "I'm sorry Annabeth," I glared at him for ignoring my threat "I know words can't mend what I have done, but I wanted you to know a few things."

"I don't want to hear-"

"I approve of you and Percy."

My mouth shut. That had certainly gotten my attention. The last time my Dad and I talked about Percy... It didn't end so well. So, to have him here saying that he suddenly approves of our relationship is pretty damn shocking.

"I also want to tell you that I was wrong about you" he continued "You're almost exactly like your mother. And once you're out of the hospital, it is completely fine with me that you stay at the house."

I wanted to hug him and slap him in the face all at the same time. I really didn't want to forgive my Dad so soon, but... He is my Dad, and no matter what, I will always love him. I feel like I'm sounding super bi-polar right now...

"I really am sorry Annabeth. I already lost a wife, I don't want to lose my daughter too." He took my hand in his and gave me a pleading look. I sighed and didn't say anything for a while. Eventually, I gave in and surprised him with a hug.

"Just because I'm hugging you, doesn't mean I forgive you" I warned.

He let out a light laugh "I know."

My Dad stayed with me in the room as I drank my soup and told him about my near death experience. I could tell it was hard for him to hear about my Mom, but he was soon grinning when I mentioned that my Mom would constantly insult Percy's Dad.

_Percy._

Gods I'm lucky to have him! Whenever I'm around him I have to keep pinching myself to make sure that I'm not dreaming. He is literally the textbook definition of a perfect male. You have no idea how blessed I am to be with him. I just can't wait to see him! And when I get out of this stupid boring hospital, I'm never going to leave his side!

_Woah there Annabeth! You're starting to sound like those crazy overprotective girlfriends!_

Ok, maybe I should tone it down a bit. I don't want to seem like a lunatic. My goodness... He's making me go insane! This cannot be healthy.

My Dad left when it was near 10:30 at night. He told me to get some sleep and I honestly tried, but I just couldn't. I'll admit it, I was a little afraid to close my eyes. What if me coming back was all an illusion and I was in fact... Dead. Plus, Percy said he would come back and I wanted to be awake when he did. He should have been back by now and I was really starting to worry.

Frustrated, I pulled the covers over my head and tried to relax. I started to think about the things I like to calm me down. I thought about the warm sun, owls, buildings, the lighthouse Percy took me to, our first kiss, his arms around me, his smile, his eyes, his soft hair-

Here we go again! Percy crawled his way back to my mind! Not that it's a bad thing, but he's all I seem to think about and I'm starting to get annoyed. I love him and all, but I need to stop sounding like some obsessed fangirl.

I started to think about music. It has always been there for me when I needed it most. Maybe if I sing for a while, I could finally relax. I thought about it and decided on 'Here Comes the Sun' by the Beatles. It's a classic, and it's one of my favourites.

_Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter_  
_Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here_  
_Here comes the sun do do do doo_  
_Here comes the sun, and I say_  
_It's all right_

I smiled. I was already starting to feel better, and I only sang one verse. I stretched my uninjured arm and legs out without a care in the world as I continued.

_Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces_  
_Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here_  
_Here comes the sun do do do doo_  
_Here comes the sun, and I say-_

"It's alright."

WHAT IN ZEUS' NAME?!

I quickly sat up which cause me to groan in pain. My arm felt like it was on fire and my ribs didn't like the fast movement either. I still had the covers over me and I immediately cursed myself for doing that because now, I was thrashing them away like a madman since they refused to untangle themselves from my body.

"Ugh! Stupid covers! Get off me!" I yelled which made the other person in the room laugh. I instantly stopped thrashing because I could recognize that laugh from a mile away.

"Percy, could you _please_ help me out?" I tried not to sound too annoyed, but it was his fault in the first place. He should have known better than to scare me like that!

I could hear his footsteps walk over to me and I could sense that his face was in front of mine "Hmmm... I don't know Wise Girl. I kind of like this look on you. I've heard that bedhead is the new sexy." I could practically see the smirk spreading across his face.

"Really Percy?! You're going to tease me after I almost died?!" Yes, I know that's a mean card to pull out, but hey, he started it!

He sighed "Ok Annabeth, just hold still." He untangled the covers and once he pulled away the sheets from my head, I rasberried him in the face. He pulled back with a disgusted look. "Ew Annabeth! What was that for?!"

I laughed hysterically as I said in-between breaths "Payback... for... scaring... me!" My laughter stopped when he manoeuvred his way on top of me. I tried to push him away, but having only one working arm, makes it very difficult.

His face was literally an inch from mine and as he smirked at me, the butterflies in my stomach started to overflow. We've been dating for over a month now and I hate that he can still do this to me. I'm pretty sure that he knows about how much control he has over me too. That just makes this relationship _very_ unfair.

He moved his head to the crook of my neck and my breath hitched. I could practically feel the grin spreading across his face as he came closer to my ear and whispered "Now it's my turn for payback."

He started kissing me from my jaw to my neck and down to my collarbone. I sighed in content and brought my good hand to his hair so I could run my fingers through it. As soon as I touched him he pulled back with a smug look on his face. I almost whined from his retreat... _Almost_.

My heart was beating so hard against my chest I thought that it would explode. By the way he was looking at me, I knew what his plan was. He was teasing me with kisses and once my other arm heals, he is definitely going to get a good smack across the head for doing this.

He leaned in again and started kissing me in every place where there was exposed skin. My neck, my collarbone, my cheeks, my forehead, my nose. Everywhere _but_ my lips. It was driving me insane! And I knew that if I tried to kiss him back, he'd just pull away. I love him and all... But he is being freaking cruel right now!

"Percy" I breathed.

He hovered his lips over mine and gave me an innocent look "Yes?"

That's it! Before he could move away, I quickly closed the gap between us. He moved one hand to my waist while the other tangled itself in my hair. I moved my good hand under his shirt which made him shiver. I smiled to myself. Oh how the tables have turned.

I was somehow able to flip us over so that now I was on top of him. I started kissing him the same way he kissed me which caused him to sigh in response. He cupped my face with both of his hands and kissed me with so much love and passion that I swear, if kisses could kill, I would have been dead the moment our lips made contact.

"I love you" he muttered through the kiss.

"Tell me something I don't know" I replied teasingly.

"My Mom's pregnant."

I immediately pulled back "What?! When?! Where?! Who?! Why?!-"

"Woah calm down Annabeth" he said with a smile as he pulled me closer to him "She just told me a few hours ago. That's why I was so late coming here."

"What did you say when she told you?"

Percy sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair "Well, I was kind of angry at first, but I think that's only because I'm not very fond of change. But once I thought about it, I started to like the idea of having a younger sibling."

"Well," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck "I think you'd make an amazing big brother."

He grinned while giving me a peck on the lips "Thanks Wise Girl. Oh and I almost forgot, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the end of the summer slideshow at the park. It's like this big barbecue where we all sit on blankets and watch this huge screen with the best memories of the summer. Leo was in charge of arranging everything this year so I'm pretty curious as to what he has planned."

"Sure, I'd love to go! I just hope Leo doesn't burn something down."

He laughed "Knowing Leo, he's probably going to go full out and have fireworks and a laser light show."

I chuckled "So when is it?"

"It's about one week before summer ends, so the 26th."

"Wow, it's so far away, what are we going to do to pass the time?"

He smirked at me, obviously getting the hint, as he maneuvered his way over top of me again. "Hmmm..." He said in a husky tone "I might have something in mind."

_Why does he have to be so freaking hot?_

***August 26****th**** – Summer Slideshow***

After being cooped up in the hospital for a few days, I was finally let out. My Dad threw a little celebration at our beach house and invited all of my friends. Although things are still a little tense between us, we're definitely on better terms.

Not long after I got out, it was Percy's birthday. Sally and I planned this super awesome surprise party for him, and being the Seaweed Brain that he is, he had no clue. His shocked face when everyone yelled surprise was absolutely priceless. I made sure that Leo was there to have the camera ready so he could put it in the slideshow.

After Percy blew out the candles on his blue birthday cake that Thalia got for him (which for some reason had a picture of Flounder from 'The Little Mermaid' on it), everyone started to bombard him with presents. He got clothes, headphones, swimming stuff, a surfboard, and lots of other things that he likes. I in particular, couldn't wait to give him my present, but I decided to be patient and wait for after the party was over to give it to him. The look on his face when he saw what I got him was something that I will never forget. And as we walked hand in hand to the park, I couldn't help but grin at the memory.

_Percy lied down on his bed with a huge smile on his face. Everyone had already left and now we were in his room laughing about tonight's events. _

_"Thanks for doing this for me Annabeth. You are truly the best girlfriend ever."_

_"I sure hope so," I teased "considering what I got you." He immediately sat up from his bed and stared at me wide eyed. He looked like a little kid on Christmas. I'd be lying if I said he didn't look absolutely adorable. _

_He grinned and his eyes had a mischievous look in them "What did you get me Wise Girl? Oh! Oh! Let me guess!... A jet pack? No. A new car? No. Oh my gods, you got me a pony didn't you?" _

_"Will you just shut up Seaweed Brain!" I scolded even though I couldn't hold in my laughter "Just hold out your hands and close your eyes." He did as he was told so I quickly ran to Sally's room and came back with the present behind my back._

_I saw him trying to sneakily open one eye, but I quickly yelled "No peeking!" He pouted, but his face broke out into a grin as I carefully laid the gift on his hands. "Ok, you can open your eyes now."_

_He looked down at his gift and stared at it in shock. Percy was now the proud owner of a new blue electric Gibson guitar. It was a deep solid blue all over with a few hints of green in it. I was able to make a deal with the store owner Apollo and buy it for him at a cheaper price, but it was still the most expensive gift I've ever bought. _

_He wasn't saying anything. He just had his mouth open and his eyes looked like they were going to come out of their sockets. I smiled sheepishly at him "Well? Do you like it?" _

_I guess I took him out of his daze because he quickly shook his head and looked at me with the largest smile I have ever seen. "LIKE IT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" He then set the guitar aside and tackled me with a kiss. He pinned me up against the wall and started kissing me like no tomorrow while muttering 'thank you's' and 'I love you's' in-between each kiss. _

_I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his torso as he carried me to his bed. He set me down on the bed without breaking the kiss. He started kissing down my neck which made me let out a small moan. I could feel his hot breath on my skin every time he spoke. _

_"You" kiss "are" kiss "the" kiss "greatest" kiss "most" kiss "beautiful" kiss "girlfriend" kiss "ever."_

_He pulled up to look at my face and I was literally out of breath "So... I'm taking that... You like it?"_

_He laughed as he leaned in for another breathtaking kiss "I love it. Almost as much as I love you. Thank you so much. This has been the best birthday ever." He then laid down next to me and wrapped his arm over my stomach "You know, when you get a new guitar, you're supposed to name it." _

_"Oh really?" I was still in a daze so I was surprised that I was even able to muster out a few words. _

_"Yeah, I'm going to name it A.J." _

_I raised an eyebrow "Why A.J.?" _

_"For Annabeth Jr."_

_I let out a loud laugh at his corniness and soon enough he was laughing along with me._

"A penny for your thoughts." I was brought back to reality by Percy whispering in my ear.

I shrugged "Oh you know just... Stuff." By the look on his face, I'm pretty sure he knew what I was talking about.

We finally found a spot in the park to set our blanket and basket. Our spot was near the center of the field so we had a really good view of the large screen that would project the pictures. Thalia, Nico, Jason, Piper, Grover, and Juniper all came to the event and I was glad to spend some time as a group. Not that I don't love spending time with Percy (quite the contrary actually), but every time I'm with him I'm always reminded that my flight date is coming closer and closer by the minute.

What's even worse is that Percy and I still don't have a plan. We've spent many long afternoons debating on how we plan on staying together and we haven't thought of many logical solutions. It was frustrating the both of us, but I hope that this slideshow would be a nice break from the stress.

"HELLO RIVERSIDE!" Leo's voice boomed through the park and I could practically feel the ground shaking from the sound vibrations "I am your master of ceremonies! Your host among all hosts! Your wine to your cheese! Your bread to your butter! Your Justin to your Timberlake! Your-"

"JUST GET ON WITH IT VALDEZ!" The crowd laughed at Thalia's outburst which only made Leo scowl.

"Oh shut up Grace! _Anyways_, as I was saying... I am your host Leo Valdez! I was in charge of this year's summer slideshow and I can't wait for you guys to see what I have in store. Not only are we going to go through all of the awesome memories that this summer had to offer, but we're also going to have some fun prizes given out, some gnarly contests, _and_ a live performance from the totally wicked band 'The Halfblood Heroes'! Which I'm in by the way."

Leo then gave a wink to a girl in the crowd and a 'call me' sign to another. He's always been such a flirt.

"Now," Leo continued "as always we have a theme to this summer's slideshow. Last year's was hope, and the year before that was friendship. You have all casted your votes at the beginning of the summer and this year's official theme is, drumroll please... Love!"

I leaned over to Percy and whispered "Is this some sort of joke?"

He chuckled and whispered back "Kind of a funny coincidence don't you think?"

Leo's voice boomed through the park again "So to all you lovebirds out there, keep an eye open because you never know if your picture shows up... And yes I'm talking to you Nico di Angelo."

The crowd turned to Nico only to find him as red as a firetruck while giving Leo a murderous look. Leo gave him a large grin which made Nico mutter "I swear I'm going to wipe that grin off his face the next chance I get."

The slideshow started and there were hundreds of photos of family and friends, but it mostly consisted of couples. Grover and Juniper were shown planting trees or holding hands down the strip. Jason and Piper were shown a lot with his arms around her waist and Piper grinning while blushing furiously. Thalia and Nico were shown and we all laughed at them since all of their photos showed them making out behind bushes and buildings.

"I'm going to kill Valdez the next time I see him" Thalia growled.

Although many couples were displayed, I noticed that Percy and I were shown the most. It was either him with his arms around me, or us holding hands, or us kissing on the beach, or me laughing at a funny face that he made. Sometimes, there were pictures where I didn't even know Leo was there! There was a picture of Percy with his arms around me when he was trying to show me how to mini-golf. And another time where Percy was on the ladder that leaned on my balcony and I was kissing him goodnight! Was Leo stalking us or something?!

"I swear you can never have privacy in this town" Percy grumbled after _another_ picture of us kissing on the beach was displayed. There were many 'aww's' from the crowd which only made my face burn up like a tomato.

Finally the slideshow was over and they were starting the raffle contest. Percy, Jason, and Nico had to go set up for their song so that just left Thalia, Piper, Grover, Juniper, and I. I had something on my mind so I turned to face Thalia and Piper.

"So how are you guys going to stay in a relationship with Jason and Nico?" I asked "I was just curious because I know you guys don't like long distance relationships."

"Well," Piper began "my Dad gave me his airline miles so I can visit anytime I want, or Jason can come visit me. But he only trusts me with it, so I wouldn't be able to share it with you guys" she added sadly. I completely forgot that Piper's Dad was Tristan McLean, the famous movie star. Piper doesn't like using his money for anything, but I guess she made an exception this once.

"And Nico's moving to New York" Thalia explained "He applied to this fancy school there because it has this program that he wants to take for university and he got accepted. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go or not, but since I live there, he decided to accept."

"Wow... You guys are pretty lucky." I tried to sound happy for them, but my words came out sad. I'm pretty sure that they noticed because they both gave me sympathetic looks. I just wished that it could be that easy for me.

"Hey guys," Grover said while interrupting my thoughts "the guys are going to start."

"Hello Riverside!" Percy exclaimed cheerfully while scoping the audience "We're the Halfblood Heroes and we're really excited to play for you today. My name's Percy and this song goes out to a very special person in my life which, thanks to Leo, you already know of." There were many cat calls and wolf whistles, but Percy ignored them as he found me in the audience and stared into my eyes. I swear, every time he does that, I feel like I'm melting into the warm sea.

"Wise Girl, this one's for you."

(Check Yes Juliet –We The Kings)

_Check yes Juliet  
Are you with me?  
Rain is falling down on the sidewalk  
I won't go until you come outside._

_Check yes Juliet_  
_Kill the limbo_  
_I'll keep tossing rocks at your window_  
_There's no turning back for us tonight._

_Lace up your shoes_  
_Ay Oh Ay Ohhh_  
_Here's how we do:_

_Run, baby, run_  
_Don't ever look back._  
_They'll tear us apart_  
_If you give them the chance._  
_Don't sell your heart._  
_Don't say we're not meant to be._  
_Run, baby, run._  
_Forever will be_  
_You and me._

_Check yes Juliet_  
_I'll be waiting_  
_Wishing, wanting_  
_Yours for the taking._  
_Just sneak out_  
_And don't tell a soul goodbye._

_Check yes Juliet_  
_Here's the countdown_  
_3... 2... 1... now fall in my arms now_  
_They can change the locks_  
_Don't let them change your mind_

_Lace up your shoes_  
_Ah Oh Ah Ohhh_  
_Here's how we do_

_Run, baby, run_  
_Don't ever look back_  
_They'll tear us apart_  
_If you give them the chance_  
_Don't sell your heart_  
_Don't say we are not meant to be_  
_Run baby run_  
_Forever we'll be_  
_You and me_

_We're flying through the night_  
_We're flying through the night_  
_Way up high,_  
_The view from here is getting better with_  
_You by my side_

_Run baby run_  
_Don't ever look back_  
_They'll tear us apart_  
_If you give them the chance_  
_Don't sell your heart_  
_Don't say we are not meant to be_  
_Run baby run_  
_Forever will be..._

_Run baby run_  
_Don't ever look back_  
_They'll tear us apart_  
_If you give them the chance_  
_Don't sell your heart_  
_Don't say we are not meant to be_  
_Run baby run_  
_Forever will be_  
_You and me_  
_You and me_  
_You and me_

The crowd roared as Percy finished the song, but he was only looking at me. Ugh, I love him so much! The way he sings just drives me crazy! And he just makes it worse by grinning at me and causing somersaults to attack my stomach.

He mouthed something to me which I translated as 'Meet me backstage'. I excused myself from the group and ran to meet up with Percy. I couldn't wait to just wrap my arms around his neck and just kiss him senseless!

I turned the corner and saw his messy raven black hair. I grinned and started walking towards him when all of a sudden, I stopped in my tracks. I could feel the tears threatening to stream down my face as I saw Percy- _my Percy_- kissing Calypso.

The world spun around me. I felt like throwing up. I felt like running off a cliff. I felt like crawling into a dark hole and never coming out. This can't be right! He would _never_ hurt me like this! There had to be a logical explanation and I was going to find out one way or another.

As I stomped towards them, I could see Calypso forcing herself upon him. Percy was attempting to push her off, but she was refusing. Just seeing her do that to him made my vision turn red. I wanted to punch her stupid pointy nose into oblivion! At least now I know Percy didn't willingly kiss her... He would have been dead if he did.

I yanked Calypso's hair back and threw her to the ground. She let out a loud yelp as I gritted my teeth and yelled "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING KISSING MY BOYFRIEND?!"

Calypso sneered at me as she said "Oh Annie," This girl was seriously asking for a beating "I didn't kiss him! He kissed me! I guess he just couldn't keep his hands off me."

"WHAT?!" Percy yelled from behind me. He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around so I could face him "I-I swear that's not what happened Annabeth! Please! You have to believe me! I would never do something like that to you! I love you so much and I-"

"Percy," I held up my hand to cover his mouth "calm down. I believe you."

He sighed in relief "You do?"

"Of course! I'm not a complete idiot. I could tell that she was throwing herself at you." I slowly turned around to face Calypso "And you... If you have any brains at all, you would be running right now."

Calypso rolled her eyes "You'll be gone by the end of the week Chase, and when you are, Percy will be fair game." I cringed at her words which made her give me a sinister smile "You know I'm right. There's no way you and Percy can stay together. Just face it, in the end, you're leaving and he's staying here with _me_."

She was really getting on my nerves so I slapped her across the face. "Keep talking and the next thing you'll get will be harder than a slap." She finally left and I turned around to see Percy with a sad and frustrated expression on his face.

"She is right about one thing Annabeth," he said "by the end of the week, you'll be on a flight back to New York while I'll be staying here."

I shook my head vigorously "Don't talk like that. We can work something out."

"What if we can't Annabeth?" his voice sounded so broken that it surprised me. He was so happy a few minutes ago. That devil Calypso just had to come into the picture and ruin everything!

I took a step closer to him "We'll figure out a way Percy, I know we can. Maybe you could come with me and go to my high school for senior year."

Percy shook his head "My family doesn't have enough money for me to go there and with a new baby on the way, money is really tight right now. What if you stay here? The high school is really good and you've already made a lot of friends here."

"Where would I live Percy? I don't have that much money either."

He took my hand in his "You could live with me. I can give you my room and I'll just sleep in the basement or something."

I shook my head "I couldn't do that to you Percy."

By the look on his face, I could tell he was getting irritated "Come on Annabeth! I can't just let you go back to New York and then only talk to you through Skype or through the phone! Why can't you just take up my offer?"

"Because your Mom already has to worry about you _and_ the baby! I don't want her to have to worry about me too!" I exclaimed in an annoyed tone "Plus, I promised my Mom before she died to take care of my Dad, I can't just leave him alone!"

"Fine!" he huffed "So you won't stay here and I can't go to New York, so where does this leave us?!"

"I don't know!" Our voices were becoming really loud. Percy and I have never fought before... Well, at least not for anything like this. It was usually over something stupid like pizza toppings or movie options. This was something totally different.

He raised his hands in disbelief "Wow! Someone better record this! Annabeth Chase doesn't know something for once in her life!"

I gritted my teeth "Are you calling me stupid Jackson?! Because if you are, you should really take a look at yourself!"

Percy narrowed his eyes at me. Their usual bright green colour now turned extremely dark that it almost looked black "Oh last names! Very scary Chase! You know, sometimes you can be really stubborn!"

I rolled my eyes "I'm stubborn?! Well _you_ are an oblivious idiot!"

"Ugh! I don't even know why I bother with you sometimes!"

My anger suddenly turned to sadness. I didn't want to fight with him, and the last thing he said made me feel like I was just stabbed repeatedly with a knife. I know I said some hurtful things too, but I was too proud to apologize for my words before he did.

He must have noticed my mood change because his expression softened. He reached out to touch my face, but I pulled away.

"I need to go" I said quietly.

I turned to leave, but he caught my arm "Annabe-"

"Let. Go." I put as much venom as I could in my tone, but he didn't release his grasp.

"No. Annabeth I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did mean it. Or else you wouldn't have said it" I ripped my arm from his grip. I could feel the tears streaming down my cheeks, but I had my back turned to him so he wouldn't see. "I'm sorry I've been such a burden to you Percy. I promise I won't bother you anymore."

"What are you saying?" His voice sounded so hollow it made my chest clench.

"Goodbye Percy."

And with that said, I ran. I ran like my life depended on it. I ran past the strip, down my street, into my house, and crashed onto my bed. I sobbed. I cried my heart out. I didn't want it to end like this, yet I made it happen. I couldn't believe what I had just done.

He's gone.

_It's better this way_ I thought _He's better off without me. _

I just broke up with Percy Jackson. And you want to know the worst feeling while I was running?

He didn't run after me.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Oh gods, I know you all want to kill me, but I have some news first. **

**So on September 29th my parents pre-ordered me the 'House of Hades' for my half-birthday (yes my family is weird that way)! I was so excited and when I got the book the day it was released, I started reading immediately.**

**I'm not going to lie to you, it brought me to tears more than once. The first time I read Annabeth's POV I started crying. And there's another part in the book where I just went absolutely insane. This book is freaking intense and I loved every minute I spent reading it.**

**I won't give any spoilers, but if you want to talk to me about it, you can PM me anytime and I'll happily respond. If you want spoilers, I can give that to you too, but trust me when I say, it's better as a surprise. **

**There's one last piece of news that I have to deliver. This story is coming to an end very soon. I'm not saying when, but it will be soon. And for those of you that are wondering, yes, there will be an epilogue. I am so excited to finish my first story! **

**Oh and I know Annabeth is a little OOC, but eh whatever! I'll make her like a wanna! :P **

**Well peace out demigods! Until next time! **

**And don't forget to review! :D **


	22. I Blame it on September

**I was excited to see that I had some free time so I thought 'Hey, why not update?'. I'm sorry that these next two chapters might not be as long as the others, but that's only because the story is almost complete. Well, without further interruptions, here's chapter 22! Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I only have to say this a few more times (thank Gods!)... I do not own Perseus Jackson! **

* * *

**Percy POV**

So, I'm a jerk. No... I'm more than a jerk. I'm an asshole! I'm every single bad thing that you can say about a person rolled up into one. Why did I just let her go?! I should have ran after her, but my legs felt like lead. I'm an idiot. No, Annabeth was right all along... I'm a freaking seaweed brain.

I shouldn't have said those things to her. We could have made it work. I mean, Skype isn't a bad idea. I was just being selfish. I wanted her beside me at all times and I should have known better than to have thought that we could have stayed together. She lives in New York, the city where big things happen. And I live in Riverside, the little island that no one's even heard of.

She's done and gone through so much for me this summer. It's shown me how amazing of a person Annabeth really is and how much I don't deserve her. Hell, she should be with a guy that can give her the world! What do I have to offer her?! I'll tell you... Nothing. Just some mangy old cookies and a bunch of sappy love songs.

She deserves a person who can give her everything she wants in life. She deserves to be a rich world famous architect, living in the Big Apple with a guy who will always be there for her. A guy who will appreciate her, care for her, and love her forever. A guy who will never hurt her the way I did.

All I feel is a ton of guilt and sadness. _I_ want to be that guy for her! _I_ want to be the one to hold her in my arms! _I_ want to be the one to kiss her until we're breathless! _I_ want to be in her future! I don't want to be the guy who was stuck in the past...

But I messed up my chance. How can she still love me after what I've said to her? Not to mention the fact that she saw Calypso kissing me. I know she said she believed me when I told her that I didn't kiss her, but I still felt guilty about it. I mean, Calypso basically threw herself on me before I could even react! I should have been faster with my reflexes or something and then maybe I could have dodged the kiss. The look on Annabeth's face when she pulled Calypso off me was unbearable. She looked so angry and hurt... I never want to see that look on her face again.

It's been four days. I left the summer slideshow without saying a word to anyone. I stayed in my room for three long excruciating days until Nico and Jason pried me out forcefully.

So here I sit, at the pizza place that I took Annabeth for our second date, while Nico and Jason look at me with concerned faces. We were sitting at the same booth that Annabeth and I sat at and I couldn't help but look over at the wall and notice our nicknames. I touched where it said '_Wise Girl_' with my fingertips and sighed. Gods I missed her so much.

"Perce have some pizza" Jason suggested "Your Mom told us you haven't eaten in days."

"I'm not hungry" I mumbled while pushing the pizza away.

"You've got to eat something Percy" Jason persisted "Your health is important."

"It doesn't matter" I replied glumly "Nothing matters anymore."

Nico hit his fist against the table causing the people eating around us to jump "THAT'S IT! You've got to snap out of this Percy! You're acting like a freaking zombie!"

"Nico," Jason began while giving him a stern look "we agreed that there'd be no lashing out-"

"Well you know what Jason," Nico interrupted "I don't care! Percy needs to hear this." He then turned and looked at me right in the eye while I stared back emotionless "Listen Perce, we can't stand seeing you like this. I mean, you haven't showered in days, your hair looks like a rat's nest, and you're dressing like a hobo! We know that your break-up with Annabeth hit you hard," I cringed at the sound of her name "but you've got to get back on your feet! You're not only freaking out your Mom, but the rest of us too."

"He's right Percy" Jason said "You need to find a way to move on."

I suddenly got really angry "How can I?" I growled "How can I move on from the best thing that's ever happened to me? How would you guys feel if Piper or Thalia broke up with you?! How would you feel if you saw the girl of your dreams running away from you, crying, because of a stupid ass mistake that you made?! How would you feel knowing that you will _never_ see or be with her again?!"

I started to shake and I knew I was getting some stares from the other customers, but I didn't care at the moment. I took a few deep breaths as I finished with a quiet voice "How would you feel after you realized that maybe it was better this way? That maybe it was better that she broke-up with you so that you wouldn't hold her back. So that she could have a better future without you... Because you never deserved her in the first place."

It was silent for a long time before Jason spoke up "You really loved her huh?"

I shook my head and put my face in my hands as I mumbled "I still do. And I don't think it will ever go away."

"Look Perce," Nico said in the calmest voice he'd had all night "I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just, we were all really worried about you and we didn't know what to do." He paused for a minute before hesitantly asking "Have you tried calling her?"

I sighed as I looked up at them feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders "I've called, texted, and left messages for her on my window. I even snuck out of the house on Tuesday and knocked on her door, but no one answered. She doesn't want anything to do with me, and I can't really blame her." I hit my head against the table "I'm such an idiot."

"Come on Perce, don't be so hard on yourself" Jason said in his attempt to cheer me up "She probably just needs some time before facing you again. Don't put the blame on yourself."

"Yeah" Nico agreed "If anything, blame it on September. I never liked that month anyways. It's the reason why summer ends and school starts."

"But it's all _my_ fault!" I yell. Nico and Jason flinch from my outburst. "_I'm_ the one that started fighting with her!_ I'm_ the one that couldn't just let her go back!_ I'm_ the one who was selfish and thoughtless! And in two days, she'll be gone!" I abruptly get up from the booth "And you know the worst part? She's going to leave hating my guts and I'm going to stay here, with unrequited love."

Jason stood up "Don't talk like that Percy. Maybe we can figure out a way for her to meet you. I can ask Piper-"

"No" I interrupted while my eyebrows furrowed "It's better if I don't talk to her. It would just be too hard to let her go if I do." I looked down as I swallowed the lump in my throat "Besides, she's better off without me. I was just holding her back from her future. In some sick and twisted way, maybe her breaking up with me was for the best. She deserves the best." With that said, I ran out of the restaurant without another word. I could hear Jason and Nico's pleas for me to stop, but I just kept going.

I ran all the way to my house and crashed onto the couch. I grabbed one of the pillows and screamed into it, thinking that it would help... It didn't. I thought about Annabeth leaving in two days. How she would just go on that plane and not look back. How she would just continue her life without me. And I wouldn't do anything to stop her because she belongs in a better world. A world that doesn't have me in it.

That's how much I love her. My love for her is so strong that I'm willing to let her go and become the great person she is destined to be without me because in the end... I would just hold her back. She's smart, compassionate, and beautiful. She doesn't need me. She never did. She'll find someone better than me, and then he'll be the one to hold her up on that pedestal for the entire world to see. And I'll stay in the background, cheering her on and loving her with all my might, as she pursues her dreams.

"Rough night?"

I look up to find Paul staring down at me with a solemn expression.

I sighed "More like a rough couple of days."

Paul nodded while taking a seat beside me on the couch. We sat in silence for a minute before he finally said "Has your mother ever told you about how I asked her out?"

I was taken aback by the question. I mean, it was just so random... But I responded anyways "Yeah. She told me that you went up to her once-"

"Once?!" Paul exclaimed. He then shook his head "Oh no Percy it wasn't just once. I went up to her about fourteen times."

"What do you mean?" I was so confused. Why was he telling me this?

"Look Percy, I'll let you in on a little secret. Sally didn't agree to go out with me the first time I asked."

"She didn't?" I was completely flabbergasted... _Flabbergasted_, that's a weird word...

He shook his head while smiling to himself "Nope. It took many, and I mean _many_, tries for her to agree to a simple dinner with me. I had sent her flowers, brought her chocolates, and called her, but she still wouldn't agree. I even went to her shop and bought at least fifty dollars worth of cookies and brownies, just so I could see her again."

How come I never heard about this? I had no idea how persistent Paul could be.

"Well the point is," he continued "I never gave up. The first time I met your mother, I knew I was a goner. She was everything I ever looked for in a woman and I just couldn't even comprehend the idea of her being with someone else besides me. I knew she had multiple men longing for her affection, but I didn't care. I kept trying and trying until eventually, she gave in. I had annoyed her so much that she finally caved and I can honestly say that it was one of the greatest moments of my life."

"Mom never told me about that."

He laughed lightly "She probably didn't tell you so that I wouldn't look like such a fool. Love can make you do crazy things, like what you're doing right now."

I raised an eyebrow at him "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry to say, but you're being incredibly idiotic Percy."

_Wow, _I thought _way to make me feel better Paul..._

"You can't just let Annabeth slip out of your fingers. You need to get up off your butt, walk out that door, and run after her." I looked over at him to see that he was being completely serious.

"I can't do that" I replied bitterly "She's better off without me anyways."

"Did she tell you that herself?"

"No, but-"

"No 'buts' Percy! Who gave you the right to make that judgment? How do you know what's better for her or not? Well son, I can tell you right now that the Annabeth that I've seen loves you till the ends of the earth. And I doubt that she would be very happy to hear that you think you're not worthy of her."

"But I'm not worthy-"

"Yes you are! Percy, you're a fine young man and an amazing son. You shouldn't be wallowing around while letting Annabeth go back to New York without telling her how you feel. Let me ask you something, how would you feel if you saw Annabeth showing affection to someone besides you?"

My eyebrows scrunched "I'd hate it."

"And what would you want to do?"

"I'd probably want to rip the guy's face off." What? It's the truth.

"That's what I thought. And how do you feel knowing that she's going to leave in the next couple of days?"

I looked down sadly "Like my heart has been ripped out of my chest and destroyed by a wrecking ball."

"Do you love her?"

I looked up and stared at him like he was a psycho "Of course I do! I would do anything for her!"

"Then why are you just letting her go?! The whole moral of my story was that you should never give up on the people you love. Which is something that you have done."

_Was it true? Have I given up?_

"Nothing in life is going to be handed to you Percy" Paul explained while putting a hand on my shoulder "You're going to have to get up and fight for what you want. If you fail, you can at least walk away with your head held high, knowing that you tried and did your best."

After Paul's words sunk into my head, I realized he was right. If I wanted to be with Annabeth, I was going to have to make an effort and fight for it. Letting her live her life without me would be the easy way out, and at the moment, it wasn't an option. I had to get her back. Or at least, be friends with her again. I needed her in my life. It just felt so empty without her there.

"How do I get her to forgive me?"

"Well, how did you apologize to her before?"

"I would write her a song, but-"

"What did I say Percy? No 'buts'! Music is a very powerful tool and you have an incredible gift. Use it to help you with Annabeth."

For the first time in days, I smiled "Thanks Paul. For everything. I don't think I've told you this, but I'm glad that you married my Mom."

His face brightened "You're welcome Percy and thank you for telling me that."

"Can I ask you to help me with one more thing?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you mind helping me with the song? Since I'm kind of short on time, I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"Of course Percy" he replied while grinning "What can I help with?"

"Well, I've already got the song title, that's for sure."

***Airport - 3:35pm***

This is it. No turning back. I can do this... Oh gods I'm freaking out!

Paul and I finished the song I had written for Annabeth last night. I had practiced till maybe two in the morning before I finally let sleep overtake me. Paul had helped me a lot these past few days and I can honestly say that he is the best step-father in the world. I'm glad that Mom agreed to date him because without him, I don't think I'd be standing in the airport right now.

Although I'm still not sure if Annabeth will even _talk_ to me after I perform my song to her... It's still worth a shot.

I started searching the airport like crazy with A.J. in one hand and a battery powered amp in the other. I ran through crowds of people who looked at me with confused or annoyed expressions. I was breathing heavily after searching for twenty minutes so I sat at a nearby bench to catch my breath. Not too long into my break, a figure loomed over me.

"Looking for Annabeth, aren't you?"

My expression turned into a scowl as I looked up to face the last person I wanted to see right now... Calypso.

I stood up from the bench and glared at her "Leave me alone Calypso. Annabeth's plane is leaving soon and I have no time to waste." I then grabbed my stuff and started walking away from her, but she stopped me by putting her hand on my arm.

"Percy wait. I didn't come to cause trouble. I came here to apologize."

"Oh really? Well get in line" I responded bitterly.

She cringed at my tone "Look Percy, I know you may not believe me, but I really am sorry about the way I've treated you and Annabeth. It was stupid, childish, and disrespectful in every way and I should have never tried to come between you two." There was so much sincerity in her voice that I almost believed her "I know it's late to say this, but I promise to never come between you and Annabeth again. You both belong together. I should have just backed off from the start."

"Well," I scratched my head as I thought "I can accept your apology, but you're still not forgiven. You caused me a lot of pain Calypso, so I don't think I can forgive you for a long time."

She nodded in understanding "That's fair. I wouldn't forgive myself so easily either." I turned to leave, but she quickly added "Oh and Percy?"

"Yeah?"

She gave me a knowing smile "Annabeth is waiting for you in terminal A6, but you didn't hear it from me."

I blinked "She's waiting... For _me_?"

Calypso rolled her eyes "Yes, now hurry up before she has to go!" I didn't need to be told twice. I ran through the airport with a gallon full of energy.

_She's waiting for me._

That was all I thought of as I rounded the corner to terminal A6. And sure enough, Calypso was right. There she stood, wearing her grey jogging pants and 'Knowledge is Power' shirt, with her hair in a messy bun. I sighed. She has never looked so beautiful.

She was surrounded by our friends Grover, Juniper, Leo, Nico, and Jason, with Piper, Thalia, and her Dad by her side. I mentally facepalmed. I could have just asked one of them for the terminal number instead of running around like an idiot. I guess that's why she nicknamed me Seaweed Brain.

As I slowly walked to her, I felt like throwing up. I was nervous beyond belief and I had no idea on how she'd react to me being here. She looked so sad and defeated that it made my chest clench and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and tell her everything was going to be ok. But I restrained myself. As I got closer I heard her beautiful voice, but it sounded like she was about to cry at any minute.

"He'll be here. Can't we just wait a few more minutes?"

Mr. Chase put a hand on her shoulder "We have to go soon Annabeth. We can't wait much longer."

"Please?" she begged "I know he's coming. He wouldn't let me leave without saying goodbye."

Thalia pulled her in for a hug "I know it's hard Annabeth, but we've tried everything. I don't think he's- Wait, he's right there!"

Everyone turned to where I was standing. Some looked at me in disbelief, others smiled at me, but I just stared at Annabeth. As she turned to face me, her mouth broke out into a large grin, but it soon faded. She went from happy to angry in less than two seconds. How she could change her mood so quickly, I would never know.

No one said a word. You could literally hear a pin drop from how silent it was, which was strange considering we were in an airport. She walked up to me with her arms crossed and I could practically smell her strawberry scented shampoo from here. She stopped a few feet away from me and I almost dropped my guitar and amp just so I could run up and hug her. But I had to do this.

I put the amp down and, as fast as lightning, connected it with A.J. She raised her eyebrows at me, but I just stared into her intimidatingly gorgeous grey eyes and gave her a small smile as I began to sing.

(Blame it on September - Allstar Weekend)

_I can still see you standing there_  
_Summer tangled in your hair_  
_First week of July_  
_First day of my life_

_My voice shook when I said hello_  
_And from that word, we couldn't take it slow_  
_I still can't believe_  
_The way you looked at me_

_Now the nights turn colder_  
_Your head's on my shoulder_  
_We do our best to pretend_  
_Waves get louder_  
_I'm lost without her_  
_As summer starts to end_

_Let's blame it on September_  
_'Cause it hurts to remember _  
_We can fight to hold on_  
_But August is gone_  
_And even if the sun falls_  
_I hope we don't lose it all_  
_'Cause no summer lasts forever_  
_Just blame it on September_

Her hard gaze began to soften. Her crossed arms dropped to her side and I could feel my heart beating a million miles per hour. I was just glad she wasn't beating me to a pulp.

_We drew hearts there in the sand_  
_Laughed when waves erased our plans_  
_No, we never knew_  
_But they told the truth_

_I can still hear our laughing friends_  
_As we sneak off again and again_  
_No we never cared_  
_Too young to be scared_  
_The nights turn colder_  
_Your head's on my shoulder_  
_As summer starts to end_

_Let's blame it on September_  
_'Cause it hurts to remember_  
_We can fight to hold on_  
_But August is gone_  
_And even if the sun falls_  
_I hope we don't lose it all_  
_'Cause no summer lasts forever_  
_No_

I took a step closer to her as she did the same. We were just three steps apart as I finished the song.

_On the beach_  
_In the heat_  
_You know I need that sweet ocean air_  
_I'm gonna go_  
_Where I know we can be alone_  
_I'll wait for you_  
_Wait for you there_

_Blame it on September_  
_We can try to hold on_  
_But August is gone_

_Blame it on September_  
_'Cause it hurts to remember_  
_We can fight to hold on_  
_But August is gone_  
_When the sun falls_  
_I hope we don't lose it all_  
_'Cause no summer lasts forever_  
_Let's blame it on September_  
_Blame it on September_

_I can still see you standing there_  
_Summer tangled in your hair_

I strummed the last chord and set down A.J. next to the amp. We stood in front of each other just staring into each other's eyes. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, I had to say something. But as soon as I opened my mouth, she tackled me in the largest bear hug she's ever given me.

I felt her body shaking and my shoulder was starting to feel wet. I immediately knew she was crying. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her closer to me. I put my head in the crook of her neck and did my best not to cry as well.

That's when I heard her quietly whisper "You came."

I pulled back to look at her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her eyes looked like they were shattering into a billion pieces. I wiped away the tears with my thumb as I said "Of course I came. I realized I couldn't let you leave without seeing you one last time."

She put her arms around my neck "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off. I-"

"No I'm sorry" I interrupted "You had every right to run off. I was being a jerk. I wanted you all to myself. I was being inconsiderate, and mean, and- Mmph"

She kissed me. She put both hands on my face and kissed me full force. It took no amount of time for me to respond back. I wrapped one arm around her waist and put my other hand in her hair. Gods I missed her. I missed her soft curly hair, her grey eyes, her smile, her laugh, her soft lips. I just missed everything about her.

So as we pulled away for air I told her "I missed you."

She put her forehead against mine "I missed you too." That was enough for me to lean in and kiss her again. It was a slow kiss, but it still made my head spin. She then pulled away and looked at me with sad eyes "What are we going to do now? I can't stand being away from you."

I ran my hand on the side of her cheek "Well, if we can't be together, then why don't we just stay friends? And then the next time we meet, we'll see where to go from there."

She sniffled and looked down to avoid my gaze "Ok. We'll stay as friends for now."

I put my hand under her chin and lifted it up so that she could look at me "Just because we're friends, doesn't mean I'm going to stop loving you. I never have, and I don't think I ever will. I love you Annabeth Chase."

She gave me a warm smile that I gladly returned "And I love you Percy Jackson."

Just then, Piper came and tapped on her shoulder "Come on Annabeth, it's time to go."

She pulled away from my embrace as she said goodbye to everyone else. I said goodbye to Thalia and Piper as they headed off towards the terminal gates. Annabeth walked with them until she suddenly stopped. She turned around and ran to me with her arms spread out wide. As she hugged me again, I picked her up and spun her around causing her to let out a light laugh.

"We'll stay in touch" I promised "We'll call each other and Skype as much as we can."

"I know" she replied as she pulled back to look at my face "I just want you to promise me one last thing."

"Anything."

She sighed as she said "Don't forget me."

Now it was my turn to laugh "Annabeth, trying to forget someone you love, is like trying to remember someone you never met."

She grinned as she said "You've been watching Oprah, haven't you?"

I smirked "Maybe I have. Or maybe I'm just deep, you'll never know."

She laughed as she kissed me one last time. I kissed her back with all the love that I had for her, hoping that one day, I'll be able to see her again.

"Annabeth! The plane won't wait any longer!" her Dad yelled "We have to go!"

She started walking back to the gates, but not before she turned to look at me once more and said "Bye Seaweed Brain. I love you."

I waved as I smiled widely and responded "Goodbye Wise Girl. I love you too." She smiled and waved back before leaving with her Dad and disappearing into the gates.

As she was waving I caught a glimpse of something shiny on her hand. As I looked closer, it was the pearl ring that I had given to her that day on the lighthouse. I grinned as I turned away and looked at my friends. They all smiled and patted me on the back reassuringly.

Leo came up to me and said "Here Perce. I think you should have this."

I looked at what he had given me and it was a picture of Annabeth and I on the beach laughing. I hadn't seen it in the summer slideshow, so Leo must have saved it for us.

I gave him a man hug as I said "Thanks man, I appreciate it."

I looked down at the picture again and decided something. Something that I will never take back. I didn't say it out loud, but I will always keep this promise with me.

_Someday, somewhere, we'll be together again Annabeth. I just know it. I swear it on the River Styx._

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**I kind of got really depressed while writing this. It just made me really sad. But don't worry, the story's not over yet! Now I wasn't going to tell you guys this, but eh whatever, I'll tell you anyways. **

**The next chapter is the last chapter! Yes young demigods, the next chapter will be the finale of 'An Unforgettable Summer'! I feel sad just saying it, but I'm glad that my first story is coming to a close. **

**I want to thank you all for your continuous support of this story and I will be updating the last chapter as soon as I can. **

**Please review/comment as you guys already know how to do so well :) I will talk to you guys soon! **

**Peace! **


	23. The Final Surprise

**Ok guys can we all take a deep breath for a second *inhales and exhales* WHEW! Ok so, here it is. The last chapter. Oh gods I think I'm gonna cry... NO! I will be strong *sniffles* Ok, without further ado, the last chapter of 'An Unforgettable Summer'!**

**Disclaimer: Oh gods, I'm going to miss you so much... NOT! I hate you disclaimer since you keep reminding me I don't own Percy Jackson!**

* * *

**Annabeth POV**

"I'm going to miss you Annie!" Thalia exclaimed while pulling me into a bear hug.

"I'm going to miss you too Thals" I said while hugging her back "And what have I said about calling me Annie?"

Thalia pulled away and shrugged "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I sent her a glare "Has Piper texted you yet?"

"Yeah she said she landed just an hour ago and that Jason will be landing soon too." Thalia sighed "She's so damn lucky! I'd kill for the chance to go to Mexico for three weeks!"

I laughed "Aren't you spending Christmas with Nico? I heard he's going to be on break tomorrow."

The snowflakes melted on Thalia's cheeks as she blushed a deep red "Yeah, he said he's taking me somewhere special, but he won't tell me where. It's actually really annoying!"

"Well I bet wherever he's taking you, you're going to love it" I then checked my watch "Crap, I gotta go. I'll see you after the break Thals."

I gave her one last hug as she said "Bye Annabeth, and say hi to Kelp Head for me."

I then ran back to my apartment at full speed. My heavy boots and winter jacket were wearing me down, but I pushed through. The snow was falling hard today, making New York look like a winter wonderland. The traffic was insane what with the many New Yorkers desperately trying to get to the airport to start their Christmas break early.

My break started today, but unlike my friends, I'm not going anywhere. It's just going to be my Dad and I in our little apartment drinking hot chocolate while opening our gifts for each other. It wouldn't be an extravagant Christmas, but hey, at least I have someone to spend it with.

I open the door to my apartment completely exhausted from my run. I take off my fifty pounds of extra clothing and head to the washroom. I looked in the large mirror and analyzed my appearance. I was wearing a long sleeved green sweater with my black jeans. I had my owl earrings on, as well as some make-up. My hair looked like someone shoved it in a blender though. I had to fix that.

I quickly grabbed my brush and brushed through my hair so that it didn't look so frizzy and untamed. I thought that it would be a better idea to just put it in a ponytail. I checked my watch again.

_3 minutes._

Crap! I have no time to put my hair up. I just left it the way it was and fixed some of my smudged make-up before running into my room. I grabbed my laptop from my desk and sat on my bed with it on my lap. I opened the Skype window and waited. I tried my best to contain my excitement, but it was becoming an impossible task.

Percy and I haven't talked in about two weeks. We were so busy with either swimming, basketball, homework, or jobs that it was really hard for us to find some free time. Since it's break, we'll finally have some time to talk. I really missed him.

It's been four months since I left Riverside and life just hasn't really been the same. I mean, I still get the highest marks in the class, I'm still MVP in my sport, and I still have my two best friends at my side, but I feel... Empty. It's like I'm missing something. No, I _am_ missing something, or more specifically, someone.

I've had a hole in my heart ever since Percy and I agreed to just be friends. Do you have any idea how hard it is to see his face on my computer and resist the urge to just reach into the screen, pull him out, and kiss him full force (even though that's not scientifically possible)? And it doesn't help that we only get to talk about once a week, if we're lucky. It's been tough keeping in touch with him, but I still make an effort because well, I'm still in love with him. I just have to hope that he still loves me too.

A new window pops up on the computer screen and I grin.

_Percy Jackson is requesting a video chat_

I hit the accept button and eagerly wait for the video to load. His image appears on the screen and I instantly blush. He hasn't done or said anything yet and my cheeks are already as red as a fire hydrant. Do you see what this boy does to me?!

"Hey Annabeth!" His voice is literally music to my ears. I could just listen to him talk all day.

I smile widely "Hi Percy! I missed you."

He smiled back "I missed you too Wise Girl. You look really beautiful by the way." He winked which caused me to look away and try to hide _another_ blush.

"Well you don't look to bad yourself Seaweed Brain. What's with the tie?"

His expression then turned sad "It's Paul's birthday today so my Mom got reservations for a really fancy restaurant downtown. So, I'll only be able to talk to you for a few minutes."

I did my best to cover up my disappointment as I said "It's ok Percy, I understand. Let's just make the most of these few minutes."

We talked about a lot. He told me about the swim team and about how much he hated the amount of schoolwork, while I told him about university applications and funny stories about Nico's first snowfall. After a few minutes of laughing and sharing stories he suddenly looked nervous.

"Annabeth?" he asked "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

I raised an eyebrow "Sure, what is it?"

"Have you, umm..." he looked away from the screen, avoiding my gaze "Have you been... Seeing anyone... Lately?"

I look down and fiddle with the ring that he gave me almost five months ago "No... Have you?"

"No!" His immediate response made me smile to myself. He cleared his throat "Sorry, I was just curious. Did you get my package?"

I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion "What package?"

"I sent you a package in the mail. It has your Christmas present in it" he explained "The mail company said that it would arrive today."

"Oh I haven't checked the mail yet so, I'll see if it's there later."

I then heard another voice on his end which sounded a lot like Sally's. "Ok, I'll be right down!" He then looked at me and gave me a sad smile "I have to go now Annabeth and I might not be able to talk to you again until after Christmas."

"It's ok," I replied as my voice cracked a little "we'll talk to each other soon."

He sighed and gave me a large grin "Merry Christmas Wise Girl."

I grin back "Merry Christmas Seaweed Brain."

"Goodbye... I love you." And with that, he closed the chat.

I sat there and stared at my computer like it might explode at any second.

_He loves me._

HE STILL FREAKING LOVES ME! After all this time, he still feels the same way! We haven't told each other 'I love you' since that day at the airport and hearing it now, made my heart start doing jumping jacks. I just wish he had given me enough time to say it back.

I got up from my bed and did a little happy dance. It was soon interrupted by my Dad looking at me like I've lost my mind "Annabeth? What are you doing?"

I abruptly stop dancing and look at my father innocently "Nothing!"

He shook his head "Ok then..." I looked down and noticed he had something in his hands. It was a medium sized brown package with my name written on it in sloppy handwriting "I think this belongs to you."

He handed me the package and I practically ripped it open. Inside was a sealed envelope, a container of blue cookies and a small silvery box. I took the letter, opened it up, and began to read.

_'Dear Annabeth,_

_First of all, Merry Christmas! Well, _early_ Christmas since you're getting this a few days before. _

_My Mom and Paul say hi. Their present to you is a container filled with blue cookies from the shop. Paul and I baked them since my Mom needed to rest, you know, because of the baby and all. She's getting HUGE by the way. I think she's like five months in or something. _

_Anyways, everyone here misses you. They ask me about you a lot so I tell them what I know. I wish we could talk more though. I was so used to seeing you every day that it feels really weird waking up to a window with no message for me. _

_I sometimes visit the spots we used to go to. I like the lighthouse the best though. I go there often. Everything about it reminds me of you... Plus, we had some pretty good memories there ;) _

_I really miss you Annabeth. And I'm not going to lie to you, this whole 'being friends' thing is killing me. I know I'm the one who suggested it, but I only did it because I thought it would make things easier... It didn't. _

_I still love you. There, I said it. Well, wrote it... Whatever. The point is, I love you Annabeth and I understand if you don't love me anymore. I hope you still do, but it's been so long that I'll understand if you've moved on. I just wanted you to know that no matter where you are in the world, I will always love you. Even if we aren't together anymore. _

_Damn this letter is getting long! Well, I hope you like your present and Merry Christmas Wise Girl! _

_Love,_

_Your Seaweed Brain (A.K.A. Percy)_

_P.S. I'm willing to wait. I don't care how long it takes.'_

Oh gods. That was the sweetest letter I have ever gotten! I wish I could tell him that I love him back! Why couldn't he just stay on Skype for just a few more seconds? Having him live so far away is so hard. I just want to be near him again. I want to run my fingers through his hair and hold his hand. I want to hear him laugh and sing, and I want to get lost into those entrancing eyes. I want to just wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him senseless!

I mentally sigh. I guess I'm just going to have to settle with phone calls and video chats for now. Damn, I _really_ miss him. I could feel the tears threatening to fall down my cheeks as my Dad looked at me with a worried expression. I waved it off saying that I was fine and took the silver velvet box in my hands.

I gasped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing right now. As I opened the box, I was completely shocked to find a silver necklace. But not just any silver necklace. The necklace had a silver owl head locket hanging from it. The designs looked almost identical to my owl earrings that they practically looked like a matching set. The only difference was that while the owls I had for earrings had diamond eyes, this one had sparkling bright emerald green ones. Although it wasn't the exact same shade of green as Percy's eyes, they reminded me of him so much. This had to be one of the best gifts anyone has ever given me! It was just so beautiful that it literally left me speechless.

I opened the locket and that's when I couldn't take it anymore. I cried. Inside the locket was a picture of Percy and I on the beach laughing. I remembered that day. Percy and I were having a sandcastle contest against Piper, Jason, Thalia, and Nico. We were laughing because Jason had pushed Nico into his own castle causing a very furious Thalia to hit Nico with a plastic shovel for being so clumsy. That was a good day...

"Annabeth? Are you alright?"

I looked up at my Dad while wiping my tears and putting on the necklace "Yeah. I'm fine." He raised his eyebrow at me which meant that he wasn't buying it, but he didn't push the subject further.

"Well," he said while taking a seat on my bed "I have some news to tell you and I'm not sure how you're going to take it."

I sat down next to him "What is it?"

"Look Annabeth, before I tell you, you have to promise me not to, as teenagers put it, 'freak out' because it's very big news."

My first thought was '_Oh crap'._ I was really starting to worry about this news. I'm not even sure if I want to hear it, but as you all might know, I can't stand not knowing something.

So I took a deep breath and grabbed my locket in my hand for reassurance "I promise Dad. Now please tell me what's so important."

* * *

**Percy POV**

I was lying on my bed staring up at the ceiling. How long had I been awake? I had no idea. Two? Maybe three hours? I tilted my head to look at my alarm clock.

_6:27am._

I groaned. I usually don't wake up until noon during break, but I haven't been able to sleep much lately. And it's all because of Annabeth. Yes, _Annabeth_. I can't stop thinking about her. She's on my mind 24/7! I miss her so much it's literally killing me inside. I just wish I could see her. Just once. And maybe I wouldn't feel so shitty right now.

We talk a few times, but not as often as I'd like. Our schedules just never seem to cooperate. I talked to her a few days ago, but it was only for like fifteen minutes. She looked so beautiful it took everything I had to not go stealing my Mom's credit card and booking a plane to New York just to go see her.

Every time I see her through video chat, I feel like a piece of my heart just breaks off. I still love her and it's becoming unbearable being this far away from her.

I haven't been myself lately either. I've had some pretty strange mood swings, but my main emotions these past few months have been either angry or depressed. The only time people could see me with a smile on my face is when I'm talking to Annabeth. My Mom tried to make me feel better by saying that if I save up my money I could visit her in New York once school ends. I took her advice, but it still kind of sucks since school doesn't end for like another six months.

I didn't feel like getting up today, which is surprising since it's Christmas Day and all. Christmas is my favourite holiday and I would usually wake up all excited, open presents, bake cookies with my Mom, and go on my boat for a few hours. But I just didn't have the heart this year. I wanted so badly to spend Christmas with Annabeth, but there was no way that _that_ was going to happen.

She's probably in her apartment right now with the everlasting snow falling down over the city skyline. She'd probably wake up and spend the whole day with her Dad doing fun Christmas stuff and having the time of her life. Man, I would give _anything_ to be with her right now. To see her gorgeous eyes again. To feel her soft curly hair in my hands. To have her close to me.

_Stop thinking about her!_ I scolded myself _You're just making yourself feel worse! Christmas is supposed to be a happy time! Be happy!_

Just then my phone started ringing. Who the hell calls someone at 6:30 in the morning on Christmas? I lazily reached over and grabbed my phone from my night stand. I pressed the answer button and put the phone beside my ear.

Despite being awake for several hours, my voice sounded groggy as I answered "Hello?"

The person on the other line chuckled "Well Merry Christmas to you too Seaweed Brain." My ears instantly perked up. I hadn't even checked the caller ID to see who was calling. Gods I'm so glad to know that it was Annabeth.

"Merry Christmas Wise Girl. Not that I don't like talking to you, but you do realize that it's 6:30 in the morning on Christmas right? What are you doing up so early?"

"There's a reason why, but I'm not telling you yet. It has to do with your present."

I smiled widely "My present? Ok, now I'm curious."

I could practically see her rolling her eyes "You're going to have to wait a few minutes Percy." She paused for a second "That's actually not the only reason I called."

"What's on your mind? Well you know, besides everything." Even from New York I could feel the glare she's giving me.

She sighed, obviously trying to hold back a snarky remark "I wanted to thank you for the present you sent me. It's absolutely beautiful and it's honestly the best present I've ever gotten." I could feel my face heating up. Thank gods she wasn't here to see me like this.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it." I took a deep breath to try to not sound so nervous... It didn't work "D-Did you, umm, get my letter?" I cursed myself for stammering like an idiot.

"Yes I did." She didn't say anything after that. I basically told her that I was still madly in love with her in that letter and that I would wait for her forever and that's all she had to say?

I felt a lump start to form in my throat when I asked "And?"

"I can't tell you what I want to say through the phone Percy."

"What do you mean?" I was really confused right now. What the hell was she talking about? Why can't she say what she feels through the phone? Did she want to video chat instead?

"Go to your front porch Seaweed Brain. Your present has arrived." She hung up after that. I stared blankly at the phone for a minute trying to collect my thoughts. She was acting really strange. Stranger than usual.

I went to the guest room window to see if Rob the mailman was still there. But instead of seeing Rob's big white mail truck, I saw a black smart car drive away. I was confused at first, but then I saw my present.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I rubbed my eyes thinking that I was hallucinating, but I wasn't. I even pinched myself multiple times just to check if I was dreaming or not. The red marks on my arms prove that this is all very real. I ran to my room and grabbed the closest t-shirt I could find. I basically flew down the stairs not caring that I was in my trident boxers or that all the noise I was making could wake my parents up. I just had to get outside.

I stood at my front door. I tried to calm my nerves down, but I couldn't. I was too excited for words. I took a few deep breaths and ran my fingers through my hair a few times so it wouldn't look so messy. Oh who am I kidding, my hair _always_ looks messy!

_Ok, you can do this_. I tell myself _Just open the goddamn door and get out there!_

I put my hand on the doorknob and slowly, but surely, open the door. It took every ounce of strength in me to not collapse right then and there.

She's here! She's standing right in front of me! All I could do at the moment was stare at her wide eyed with my mouth hanging open.

She laughed. Holy Hades I have never heard something so incredible. That laugh could bring anyone to their knees. She walked up to me and closed my mouth with her fingertips.

"You're drooling."

I shook my head to get out of the daze I was in and wiped my mouth. This really felt like déjà vu. I looked back at her again and sighed at how beautiful she looked.

The early morning sunrise hit her hair perfectly, making it look like she had a bright halo surrounding her head. She grinned cheekily which made her eyes stand out as she bore them into me. Her skin was still tan and her cheeks had developed a rosy tint. She wore a light green summer dress with silver flats, her owl earrings, and the owl necklace that I had given to her. To say she looked stunning was an understatement.

After a few minutes of staring into each other`s eyes, I finally got the courage to choke out "Annabeth." She then lunged and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her waist, remembering how perfectly we fit together. Like two puzzle pieces.

"Percy" she whispered near my ear "Oh gods I've missed you so much."

I held her tighter "I've missed you too. More than you know." She then pulled back and I noticed that she was staring above us. I followed her gaze only to find a classic Christmas ornament.

_Mistletoe. _

It figures that the stupid plant would be here now. Hmm... Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing actually. She looks at me and I can tell she's thinking the same thing. I put my forehead on hers as she wraps her arms around my neck. I could feel her warm breath on my face as I pull her impossibly closer to me. I could bet you anything that she could feel my heart beating rapidly against my chest.

I realized right then and there that this is all I need. I just need her here with me and I will be happy. I don't care what life throws at us, I'm going to stay with her through thick and thin because we belong together. Despite everything that's happened, she is my other half. The missing piece in the puzzle. The beacon of light that shines through the darkness. She is all of those cheesy sayings rolled up into one. And I love her for it.

So that's why, as I hover over her lips, I can honestly say "I love you."

She caresses my cheek with her hand as she says the words that I will never get tired of hearing "I love you too."

We kissed. Kissing her is the greatest experience I've ever had in my life. The feeling of her lips on mine sends a wave of euphoria that is absolutely impossible to explain. It's just perfect. The best word to describe it is perfection.

Our lips moved in sync as the kiss started to get really heated. I mean, we've never kissed so desperately before. I think it's also due to the fact that we haven't seen each other in four months, but I'm not complaining. That's when the thought hit me. How long would she be staying here? I wanted to ask her, but I was kind of caught up at the moment and I really didn't want to stop.

Somehow, we had made it to my couch. She was straddling me while taking off my shirt as I was kissing her neck. She threw my shirt across the room as she leaned down and kissed me forcefully. I brushed my tongue on her bottom lip and she immediately granted me access. She ran her fingers across my chest which caused me to shiver. I couldn't take it anymore.

I flipped us over so that now I was on top. I kissed her neck all the way down to her collarbone. She sighed and brought my face back to hers to kiss me again. I put one hand on her waist and moved my fingers in slow circles as she messed up my hair even further. Eventually, she pulled away gasping for air.

"I didn't... Even get... To give you... Your present" she said while catching her breath.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion "I thought you were my present."

She laughed and gave me a peck on the lips "That's sweet of you to say, but I actually did get you something."

"What is it?" I asked while grinning like a little kid.

She shook her head "It's a surprise. You're just going to have to wait until tonight."

"You're staying for the day?" I really hoped she stayed for a long time. I can't stand the idea of saying goodbye to her so soon.

"Actually, I'm not leaving."

I raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?" Annabeth sat up and looked at me with the largest smile I've ever seen. It looked as if she had just won the lottery.

"My Dad's work gave him a promotion. Apparently, he did so well with his research here that they wanted him to continue working on it for the rest of this year and next."

OH MY GODS!

"So," I began "does this mean that..."

She shook her head furiously in confirmation "YES! I live here now!"

She squealed as I tackled her in another kiss. She laughed while I kissed her cheeks, nose, forehead, and basically everywhere on her face. I eventually kissed her on the lips as passionately as I could. This had to be the greatest Christmas _EVER_!

I pulled away and looked into her beautiful grey eyes "This is truly a Christmas miracle."

"You're so cheesy Seaweed Brain" she said while slapping my arm playfully.

"That's because you made me that way Wise Girl."

She thought for a moment "Maybe... But you're still a Seaweed Brain."

I smiled "Yeah, but I'm _your_ Seaweed Brain."

"And I'm _your_ Wise Girl" she replied while giving me a bright smile.

Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea. I picked her up and threw her over my shoulders without warning. I then ran to my deck and down the beach as she hit my back furiously with her fists.

"I SWEAR PERCY, IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW-"

"As you wish love."

I then dropped her into the cold ocean water with a loud splash. She resurfaced and spat the salty liquid from her mouth while glaring at me. I was about to laugh, but I knew that look. That look was the 'You have three seconds to run before I kill you' look. I turn to run to the house, but she tackled me before I even had the chance. We went farther into the ocean as we had a full on splash war and soon enough, Annabeth started shivering.

"I-I-I'm f-freez-zing!" she exclaimed.

I pulled her in for a hug and she instantly stopped shivering "Better?"

"Much." She then looked up and stared into my eyes "Even when you annoy me to no end, I still love you, you big doofus."

I laughed at her choice of words and wrapped my arms around her waist "And I love you, you little braniac."

We laughed at the ridiculous names we called each other because in the end, it will always be Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl. Percy and Annabeth. And nothing in this world will ever change that.

I pulled her in the ocean water with me and kissed her.

And I can honestly say that it was the_ best_ underwater kiss of all time.

_**The End**_

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Percy: That's it?! It just ends there?! **

**Annabeth: Calm down crazy! There's still the epilogue remember?**

**Percy: Oh yeah... **

**Annabeth: *rolls her eyes***

**Percy: Hey Annabeth, that was a pretty awesome kiss though right? *winks***

**Annabeth: *glares* You're an idiot.**

**Percy: But I'm ****_your_**** idiot.**

**Annabeth: You're just stealing from the story! You can't just-**

**Percy: *interrupts Annabeth with a kiss***

**Annabeth: *sighs* ... You're lucky you're a good kisser.**

**Percy: *grins triumphantly***

**Me: Ok guys, save the mushy stuff for the epilogue...  
Well, I just wanted to thank all of you for reading my story and going on this insanely fluffy Percabeth journey with me! I have enjoyed every single second of it, and I still can't believe it's over. Thank you for all of your support! I love you all to death!  
As I said before, there will be an epilogue posted soon, so keep your eyes pealed!  
I'll give a longer speech once I'm done the epilogue, but until then, so long fellow demigods!  
Thanks again for going through this emotional roller coaster with me! :) **

**Percy: She almost cried while writing the ending.**

**Me: Shut the hell up Percy! I won't hesitate to get Annabeth to kick your ass!**

**Percy: *sticks out tongue and dives into the ocean water***

**Me: Damn him... **


End file.
